What is the secret? This question

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1 January / February 2017 What is the secret? This question usually comes from someone with a genuine desire for deeper intimacy with the Lord and knowledge of God s perfect will. For me, fasting has been the secret to obtaining open doors, miraculous provision, favor, and the tender touch of God upon my life. When I was an evangelist, my brother and I traveled together. We would rotate our preaching night. On my night off, I would fast all day for him. On his night off, he fasted all day for me. We went from obscurity to doors opening all over the world through the power of fasting. Every assignment has a birthplace. When God has placed a dream inside you that only He can make possible, you need to fast and pray. Now as a pastor, our church begins each year with a 21-day fast. From my early years of ministry until this day, fasting has become a lifestyle. When I feel myself growing dry spiritually, when I need a fresh encounter with God, fasting is the secret key that unlocks heaven s door and slams shut the gates of hell. You are probably not content to go through this year the way you went through last year. You know there s more. You know there is an assignment for your life. You FASTING: SECRET TO OPEN DOORS By Jentezen Franklin know there are things that God desires to release in your life, and there is a genuine desperation for those things gripping your heart. I want to invite you into this marvelous journey. When you fast at the beginning of the year and pray, you release the principle found in Matthew 6:33: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you (emphasis added). If you seek Him first in the year, get ready for all these things to be added to your life throughout the rest of the year! Stated simply, biblical fasting is refraining from food for a spiritual purpose. Fasting has always been part of a normal relationship with God. When you eliminate food from your diet for a number of days, your spirit becomes uncluttered by the things of this world and amazingly sensitive to the things of God. As David stated, Deep calls unto deep (Ps. 42:7). David s hunger and thirst for God were greater than his natural desire for food. As a result, he reached a place where he could cry out from the depths of his spirit to the depths of God. Once you ve experienced even a glimpse of that kind of intimacy with our God and the countless continued on page 3 FIRST FRIDAY PRAYER January 6 /February 3, 2017 On the first Friday of the month, we encourage all to fast and pray for America using the prayer focuses below. CULTURE OF LIFE Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him (Deut. 30:19-20 NIV). Offer thanksgiving for President Trump s pro-life stand, and for his call that all in our nation would demonstrate a culture of life. Pray that you, your family, church, and all believers in your area better understand and demonstrate the Sanctity of Life ethic and obey God s will in this matter. Intercede that the Sanctity of Life ethic be upheld nationwide, and that the Lord anoints and grants courage to pro-life members of the 115th Congress. FOREIGN POLICY Intercede that wisdom and direction be granted to President Trump as Commanderin-Chief. Intercede for the President, the First Lady and their family; for Vice President Mike Pence and his family; and any newly nominated Ambassadors; and all involved in U.S. foreign policy. Intercede that they receive wisdom, strategy, and direction, especially regarding Israel, Iraq, Iran, Syria, China, Russia, and North Korea. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6). 115TH CONGRESS Affirm the Lordship of Christ over your Senators and Representative, and over all returning and all newly elected members of the new 115th Congress (2 Cor. 4:5). Intercede for them, their advisors, staff, and associates. Intercede for the hiring and placement of godly, moral men and women. We offer this publication 10 times annually (Jan / Feb, Jul / Aug combined) for a suggested donation of $25 per year. To see God s purposes for America fulfilled through sustained prayer and Spirit-led obedience

2 I C M NFORM ONNECT M NFORM ONNECT OBILIZE Intercessors for America OVERTURNING THE SPIRIT OF DEATH By Wanda Alger, IFA s Mobilizer Editor For years, believers have been crying out for the end of the legalization of abortion. With a new administration in the White House, intercessors must not only pray that laws will be overturned, but also that the demonic stronghold of death will be removed from our land and that victims of this curse will find healing. Cindy Collins is the founder and director of SpeakHope.net, a ministry reaching out to exploited women of abuse and casualties of abortion. Her own testimony illustrates the deep-rooted spiritual consequences of abortion, but also testifies to the supernatural and redemptive work of the cross. As a 19-year-old college student, Cindy was pregnant with nowhere to turn. She went to a Planned Parenthood facility in her town where she learned abortion would soon be legalized. This was in January 1973, just days before the Roe v. Wade case would make abortion legal. She received no counseling on the realities of her pregnancy, the implications of abortion, or any other option and was sent to Washington, D.C., for her abortion. Along with other young women who had arrived for appointments, Cindy was shown a fetal model of an empty uterus and told that the blob of tissue would simply be suctioned out. The procedure was extremely painful. Cindy would later learn that the force used was 29 times the force of a vacuum cleaner. What she had thought would be a simple medical procedure not only traumatized her, but left her deeply scarred. What Cindy did not realize was that the abortion opened the door to a spirit of death operating in her life. This not only took her through seven more years of self-destructive habits (including drugs, alcohol, and sexual immorality), but also led to multiple abortions. In counseling women through the years, Cindy indicates this is a common pattern with percent of women aborting multiple times. Without healing and deliverance from the first abortion, the trauma is repeated over and over again because of the spirit of death in operation. Thankfully, due to the prayers of family and friends, Cindy eventually moved to New Orleans and found a church where she began to find healing. With proper pastoral care and teaching of the Word, Cindy started to replace the enemy s lies with the truth of God and found deliverance. She also met her husband who would prophesy to her, The Lord is going to have you reach others that other people don t care about. He s going to use you. Unfortunately, due to the physical damage of her abortions, she miscarried their first child. Soon after, they attended a meeting where a guest minister had a word of knowledge for her and prayed that her fallopian tubes would be healed. She was supernaturally healed! Two months later, she was pregnant. Seven months later, she gave birth to their first son, John. Three years later in 1990, she gave birth to twins Rachel and Sarah, who were born on January 22, the day after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Cindy received this as a prophetic sign of a new beginning, not only for her, but also for countless other women in the future. One in five American women have had an abortion and many never tell anyone. Cindy encourages pastors to talk about abortion because it set her free. Addressing the demonic roots of trauma and death can lead to finding lasting freedom. She urges intercessors to... pray for a healing cry to be released throughout the Body of Christ, as a trumpet... not only for abortion, but the brokenness left in its wake. With the shift of power in our nation this month and our continued prayers, perhaps this will be the year of national deliverance from this destructive stronghold. Connecting to others

3 I C M NFORM ONNECT M NFORM ONNECT OBILIZE Intercessors for America Fasting: Secret to Open Doors continued from page 1 rewards and blessings that follow, your whole perspective will change. You will soon realize that fasting is a secret source of power. In the Book of Joel, the Lord said, And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions (Joel 2:28). God was going to pour out revival afterward. He was revealing His will for His people afterward. After what? After a fast, Israel was in sin, and God was calling His people to fast in repentance (vs. 15). His promise to them was to pour out revival and blessings on the land. I don t know about you, but I m ready for those afterward seasons when God pours out revival! What are we waiting for when we read Scriptures like 2 Chronicles 7:14? Can you imagine if believers in America really took hold of this, if they humbled themselves (fasted) and prayed? God would heal our land and send revival! Today, if we have lost anything in this country, we have lost the right way. Fasting has all but disappeared from regular Christian discipline. We have more media availability for preaching than ever before, yet sin and repentance are seldom preached. Today, our little ones are exposed to every kind of perversion and danger with the click of a button be it TV, Internet, cell phones, or just a stroll through the local mall. Today, the words of the weeping prophet Jeremiah causes a lump in my throat as I read them aloud. Speaking of a sinful generation, the Lord said: Are they not ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them (Jer. 6:15, NIV). There is an enemy that is taking captive entire generations in America today. We are standing at a crossroads. We have the opportunity to stand up like Ezra, to declare a holy fast (Ezra 8:21), and to seek the Lord for the right way to lead this generation. America has greatly sinned against God through abortion, homosexuality, adultery, rampant pornography, and fornication. We have no fear of God, and America is rapidly becoming a pagan nation. Our only hope is to humble ourselves in fasting and prayer. Nineveh was a great city. In fact, the Bible says that it was so vast it took three days just to tour it. Historians say Nineveh had walls 100 feet high with watchtowers that stretched another 100 feet. Surrounding the city of about 120,000 people was a vast moat 150 feet wide and 60 feet deep. Nineveh was proud, strong, and impregnable. And if any foreign army wanted to lay siege or attempt to surround and cut them off, they had enough supplies to hold out for at least 20 years. But Nineveh was filled with sin. God sent Jonah to preach repentance to Nineveh. He proclaimed, Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned (Jonah 3:4, NIV). It is very possible the people of Nineveh had some understanding of how powerful the God of Israel was, because they were struck with fear at these words and believed them. They declared a fast, and the king even issued a decree that no man or animal was to taste food or even water. Without any guarantee, he thought by humbling themselves in this manner, God may relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish (vs. 9, NIV). America has had its times and seasons. America is a faith-filled, Godfearing nation pledging allegiance to our country with the words, One nation, under God, indivisible.... We chose to imprint our coins and money with the words In God We Trust, in order to set ourselves apart as a nation that honored God with our finances and our lives. Many a fiery evangelist has brought the message of repentance to our nation. Many waves of revival have swept our country. God is merciful to send many Jonahs to give us the opportunity to fast, pray, and repent, but how long will He wait? We are living in important days and in important times. Thankfully, churches across this country are coming to understand the importance of fasting. We can humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and expect Him to hear from heaven and heal our land. After all, God heard Daniel on the very first day he fasted and prayed (Dan. 10:12)! Jentezen Franklin, Fasting (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2007). Used by permission. This First Friday Prayer Letter, provided on request, is published 10 times annually. IFA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry. All Scripture references are NKJV unless otherwise noted. Contents may be reproduced, except for items separately copyrighted; please credit IFA. IFA Office: Post Office Box 915, Purcellville, VA 20134; Tel 800-USA- PRAY; IFA@IFApray.org. IFA Web sites: IFApray.org and IFAresources.com Connecting to God

4 I NFORM C ONNECT M OBILIZE Intercessors for America Answered Prayer NATIVE AMERICANS FORGIVE Native Americans, representing 1,000 tribes, gathered in Washington, D.C., on October 21 for All Tribes D.C.: A National Day of Prayer for the First Nations. Indian tribes came from the U.S. and Canada to forgive the U.S. government for breaking treaties with Native American ancestors. The day included intercessory petitions, proclamations, and declarations of forgiveness. Negiel Bigpond, a Euchee (Yuchi) Indian, believes Native Americans have taken a first step toward aiding national awakening by extending forgiveness. Portions of a proclamation posted on the All Tribes D.C. Web site ( were read by tribal leaders: We stand in the gap for those who are unable or unwilling to forgive, and call upon the Master of Life, to forgive us for harboring unforgiveness, resentment, hatred, bitterness, and rage. We repent of every curse spoken over America by our ancestors, and we release the power of forgiveness to bring healing and the peace of Creator God to this land. (CN) TRUMP INVITES NETANYAHU U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Israel s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the morning after his election and invited the Israeli leader to Washington at the first opportunity, according to the Prime Minister s office. Trump and Netanyahu, who have known each other for many years, had a warm, heartfelt conversation, the statement said. Netanyahu congratulated Trump, saying the Republican is a true friend of the State of Israel. We will work together to advance security, stability, and peace in our region. The bond between the U.S. and Israel is based on shared values, shared interests, and a shared future. I am sure that President-elect Trump and I will continue to strengthen the special alliance between Israel and the U.S. and we will bring them to new heights. (TOI) Issues for Prayer FBI CONTINUES INVESTIGATION The FBI continues to investigate the pay-for-play schemes of Bill and Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation. As The Daily Caller reports: FBI agents across the country are continuing to actively pursue a broad political corruption investigation of the Clinton Foundation, a probe that is consuming the resources in the FBI s Little Rock, AR, field office, where every agent assigned to public corruption matters is now working on the case. Little Rock is important to the investigation because the Clinton Foundation was founded there in 1997 in that state s capital where Bill Clinton served multiple terms as Governor. (CN) CALLS FOR ASSASSINATION Liberal protesters have taken up the slogan Not My President in response to President-elect Donald Trump s victory, but some are taking their outrage even further. Liberals, socialists, progressives, statists, and globalists have had a hard time dealing with Trump being sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. But among the protests, walkouts, and verbal tirades have been something much more dangerous. According to a report by The Daily Caller, social media is beginning to see a surge in threats of violence. David Hookstead reports: Twitter is exploding with people calling for President-elect Donald Trump to be assassinated. Threats against the life of the President or President-elect are usually investigated by the Secret Service. (CN) WIKILEAKS EXPOSES OCCULT In a June 28, 2015, to Hillary Clinton s campaign chairman John Podesta, his brother Tony asks if Podesta and/or his wife will be in New York City on July 7 and able to attend a spirit dinner hosted by performance artist Marina Abramovic. She is an occultist who infuses her performance art heavily with elements of witchcraft. The spirit dinners she puts on involves painting the recipe for the dinner on the wall with congealed blood. Those ingredients usually involve blood and other unmentionable bodily fluids. It s not clear whether or not Podesta attended the dinner. (CN) JUDGE REBUKES REFUGEE STANCE A federal judge called out the Obama administration over the lack of Christian refugees being allowed into the United States from wartorn Syria. It is well documented that refugees to the United States are not representative of that war-torn area of the world. Perhaps ten percent of the population of Syria is Christian, and yet less than one half of one percent of Syrian refugees admitted to the United States this year are Christian, Judge Daniel Manion wrote. In 2016 alone, some 11,000 Syrian refugees entered the United States, only 56 were Christians, according to data produced by the Refugee Processing Center. The number of Syrian Christian refugees being allowed into the country is vastly disproportionate to Syria s Christian population. So far, between 500,000 and one million Christians have fled the violence or were murdered. (BCN) CHILDREN S MAGAZINE PRESSURED Highlights for Children is popular among children, but the magazine recently became embroiled in a controversy over gay inclusion. A girl identified as Kristina wrote to the magazine s editors, asking that families with homosexual partners be depicted positively and regularly. Highlights responded that the magazine s editors had thought a lot about introducing homosexual families into their publications but hesitated in order to give parents the right to introduce the topic on their own terms. Gay activists proceeded to condemn the magazine, and the publisher then backed off, issued an apology to LGBTQ protesters, and committed to inclusion in future issues. (BCN) Events VIRTUAL PRAYER MEETING, JAN 1-22 Begin the New Year with praying, fasting, and joining prayer conference calls, January 1-22, from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. EST. National prayer leaders across denominational lines will lead the prayer calls. Information at SEEK GOD FOR THE CITY, MAR 1 Forty days of prayer and fasting for revival, begins Ash Wednesday and ends Palm Sunday. Steve Hawthorne of WayMakers has written a Seek God for the City guide with prayers of biblical hope. Order from Subscribe to The Informer for weekly prayer updates IFApray.org FIRST FRIDAY PRAYER CONFERENCE CALL FIRST FRIDAY PRAYER CONFERENCE CALL Please plan on setting these important 30 minutes aside to join with hundreds across the U.S. in praying for America, its leaders, and its citizens on Friday, January 6, and February 3, 2017 from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. (ET) Call: Access Code: # Publication index: CN=Charisma News; BCN=Breaking Christian News; TOI=Times of Israel To place orders with Intercessors for America, call or visit IFAresources.com. Connecting to God

5 When I read the Republican Party Platform I thought to myself, this party is committing political suicide. After all, it supported many issues that fly in the face of the cultural trends. The platform supported the reversal of Roe v. Wade and the elimination of federally funded abortions. It supported traditional marriage between one man and one woman. It supported moving the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem. Then I heard from a few of the authors of these planks about how their meetings had started in prayer as they discussed the issues. The Republican Party Platform had been prayed over before the discussions even began! As the dust settled from the election, we witnessed these results: the Presidency, the Senate, the House, 33 Governors (+3), and 67 of the 98 state legislatures with a Republican majority! This majority represents all levels of government that have the Republican Party Platform as the binding agenda for their legislative activity. God has given us a significant opportunity! We must learn from the past not to squander the opportunity to make great strides in what some are calling the most biblical party platform in the history of our county. We cannot do as the Church has done in the past and sit back and relax when conservatives are in control. SPIRITUALLY DRAINING THE SWAMP By David Kubal Here is the bad news: the Church was not any more engaged in this election than in Approximately 26 percent of white evangelicals (the only demographic that exit polls offered) voted in both 2012 and 2016 the exact same percentage of voters. Yes, the percentage of those who voted for the Republican candidate rose slightly from 78 to 81 percent. But this is of no significance and was actually offset by a lower turnout rate in Read more of my analysis of what God did in the election at: Here is the good news: there is a remnant praying with desperation. There were more unified prayer activities than I have ever witnessed. There is no measurement to compare the quantity and quality of prayers, but anecdotally, I can tell you the intercessors were crying out. We must continue to pray and press in to spiritually drain the swamp of Washington, D.C. There is no human effort that can accomplish this. This is as much a spiritual activity as it is a legislative activity. This is why we are launching on Inauguration Day (January 20) Pray for America s Leaders. This is a comprehensive tool uniting the Body of Christ to their elected officials (and key legislation) to participate with God in shaping history through prayer and fasting. Prayer Requests: PRAY FOR AMERICA S LEADERS Intercede that God will direct many to sign up at PrayForAmericasLeaders.com and that intercessors will connect with their elected officials, build relationships with them, and cover them in prayer. Pray that God will move in a mighty way, bring revival to America, and restore our nation to moral greatness. IFA LEADERSHIP AND STAFF Intercede that God will protect, grant wisdom and strategy, anoint, and sustain IFA s board of directors, president, and staff. Ask the Lord to confirm His will as they seek and serve Him. Pray that they will receive fresh revelation and understanding of the faithfulness of God. END OF YEAR GIVING Offer thanksgiving to God for His continued provision for IFA. Please pray in the New Year and during this critical time in our nation that members will join in prayer for America and financially support the work of IFA. We sincerely value you as partners-inprayer. May the Lord give you a sense of His satisfaction for your willingness and commitment to pray for our nation and leaders. FF CONFERENCE CALL We praise God for the hundreds of intercessos who call in on the First Friday of each month to pray and fast for the many issues we face in America. We give thanks to our Lord for all those who tell us how greatly encouraged they are by these calls. Pray that many more will hear about the First Friday Prayer Conference Call and join us in united prayer for our nation and leaders. See call-in details on last page. To see God s purposes for America fulfilled through sustained prayer and Spirit-led obedience

6 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES Pray for America s Leaders The goal of Pray for America s Leaders is to facilitate online, interactive communication between intercessors and elected officials. This web tool will provide an opportunity for people of prayer to track legislation and encourage the efforts of all federal elected officials. Intercessors will have a front row seat in covering our government in prayer. Costs Web site Development $ 25,000 Communications and Marketing $ 50,000 Staffing Expenses (four staff members) $125,000 Printed Resources $ 25,000 Total $225,000 National Sanctity of Life and Marriage Initiatives Over the course of the year, we will facilitate two prayer initiatives: one for the unborn and one for marriage. It will be our aim and goal to mobilize the Body of Christ to pray specifically for laws, political leaders, major voices, and leading organizations in these areas. We will provide directed personal prayer resources and opportunities for corporate prayer. Costs Sunday Bulletin, Church Pray! $12,000 Weekly e-alerts via The Informer $ 9,000 Monthly Printed Prayer Letter, The Connecter $ 7,000 Total $28,000 National Day of Repentance Scripture is clear that repentance is the key to turning a nation. God s heart for a nation is greatly affected when that nation mourns for its moral and spiritual condition. There is a great need to make a national clarion call to the Church for repentance. Time is short, and those who understand the urgency of the hour must do something to encourage the Church to awaken and humble itself. Costs Communications $ 5,000 Resources $30,000 Staffing $15,000 Total $50,000 By the Numbers 92,177 Minutes of prayer in the final eight weeks of the election 80,000 Top Ten Ways to Pray for the Election Guides were printed and distributed 40,000 Presidential Election Voter Prayer Guides were printed and distributed 10,000 New intercessors were recruited to pray for our nation 3,000 Intercessors participated in the coordinated Election Day conference call I told my husband I would only go antelope hunting with him during the First Friday call if I could still do the call. He agreed and we had an antelope down, and I was able to connect in the middle of nowhere! - L Thank you all for your effort to encourage prayer for the nation your work and presence in my life are continual reminders to rise up in prayer! - M I am diligently praying for the items in your monthly prayer letter I am very concerned and praying against the immoral agenda that is trying to come against our school children. J Thank you for the voter guide incredible resource! P I appreciate the Get Out The Prayer resources that you sent. I gave them all out and printed some more of the prayer guides. I got dozens and dozens of comments wherever I wore the Pray button. L Thank you for all you do and have done to wake up the Church to pray and vote. D INTERCESSORS FOR AMERICA, PO Box 915, Purcellville, VA USA-PRAY ( ). IFA@IFApray.org. IFApray.org