8 Days for a new beginning

Dear Fellow Prayer Warriors

Over the next 8 days, some key meetings will be taking place as leaders from many different regions, denominations, ages, and ethnos come together to seek the Lord's face for His next steps for the church of Canada. All the five-fold ministry gifts of church ministry will be represented, along with key leaders of intercession and those who are called to serve in the five-fold ministry in the spheres of business, politics and education. 8 is the number of new beginnings and we believe the Lord intends to release a new revelation of unity that will birth a new model for leadership in the church, even as he did in Acts 2. We are not looking for a repetition of Acts 2 but rather the extension, the next step, the Lord has reserved for His body in these end days. We know that corporate unity is the key to releasing a corporate authority that will allow us to address the rulers and powers in the heavens and on earth to see the Lord's purposes for our nation fulfilled.

From December 2nd-4th, 80+ aboriginal (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) leaders will meet in Ottawa. This is a historic time where the First Peoples will seek the face of the Lord for a new supernatural release of unity among them to make them "one voice' as the aboriginal believers in the church of Canada.

From Dec 5th-7th, 50+ leaders from across the nation will meet outside of Calgary for a pre-meeting to a larger leadership gathering coming later in the week. This will be a time of sharing and discerning together and waiting upon the Lord for this new release of revelation of authority.

From December 7th-10th, these 50 leaders will be joined by another 150+ leaders in Canmore and as a broader leadership group we will contend with the Lord for the supernatural unity and also His practical strategies for how we walk truly as a corporate body in the nation.

We believe that through these meetings the Lord desires to set important foundations for our next steps as the church in Canada. And we know that without the intercession and contending of not just these leaders, but the broader body in the nation, what the Lord wants will not be brought to birth. We are one body and we need the whole body, every part, pushing together as one man at this time.

To facilitate this we have prepared some prayer directives, based on what the Lord has been showing us throughout the last month. We encourage you to pray as individuals, in groups and contend for God's purposes for Canada in these days.

1) Pray for a fresh revelation from heaven to open seals of the mysteries of the ages that God has reserved for such a time as this. In Acts 2 God supernaturally birthed a great unity that was the foundation of the early church. Let us pray for the measure of new revelation for the church in these end days to be released.

Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. Daniel 12:9-10

Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared- who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken- who can but prophesy? Amos 3:7-8

2) Pray for the fear of the Lord to be released in a new way over the leaders and the nation. At One Heart, we received the prophetic word that no more is the Ark of the Covenant (the presence of the Lord) taken away from the church in Canada. We've entered a new realm of moving with the ark and with that we must have a fresh understanding of the fear and reverence of the Lord. We don't want to end up as David, who when he began to move the ark from Abinadab's house had to have an "Uzzah" experience before he realized that having the ark in your midst meant there was a whole new divine order.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. Ps 111:10

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. Ps. 19:9

3) Pray that all agendas of human origin will be laid down so that only God's agenda can come forth. This has been one of the foundations of our journey and for weeks the Lord has been speaking to many about going back to our foundations. As it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end. We are completing one phase of our journey, to bring the presence of the Lord into the midst of the nation, and now the chronicles, the days of his Presence, is waiting to be written.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Rom 11:33-36

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Is 55:8-9

4) Pray that our seeking of the Lord will be pure and motivated from love alone. One of the other foundations of our journey has been deep intimate fellowship with the Lord. Our longing is to minister to the Lord, to worship Him, to wait on Him, simply to bring pleasure to His heart. Not as an end to a means (waiting so we can hear). 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us that even if we speak with tongues of angels and fathom all mysteries, without love we have nothing. Pray the purity of our devotion to Christ be seen and manifest.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1 Cor 13:2

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Cor 11:2-3

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Ps 27:4

5) Pray that the leaders will enter afresh into a new level of the rest of the Lord. God desires us to come to a place of rest in our spirits, of absolute trust and faith in Him, so we can do whatever He asks us in obedience but without striving or taking upon ourselves unnecessary burdens. Rest is actually an amazing position of warfare in the spirit - of absolute trust and confidence in the Lord and knowing that He has everything under control.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:11

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength...Isa 30:15

6) Take a stand against confusion, misunderstandings, miscommunications and other attacks that would seek to focus the leaders in their minds instead of their spirits. Sometimes we can think that the way to unity is through mutual agreement and discussion. But unity is a spiritual force to be birthed and received by revelation in the spirit. It is not a function of natural understanding. Pray the Lord protects the leaders from "rabbit trail" discussions that could distract and that they stay in step with the Lord in the spirit.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Gal 5:25

Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Gal 3:3

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor 10:4-6

7) Speak life into this time and into the body in the nation. At the One Heart gathering a new level of unity was achieved, through the covenant of the French and English and also by the First Peoples among themselves and with the rest of the body in the nation. This new measure of unity has released a new level of authority. We believe one aspect of this authority is the authority to speak life - to prophesy life over the body. Let us speak the life and light of God to shine forth in these meetings as the leaders speak to one another and address the spiritual realm in the nation. And let us together, prophetically, speak LIFE into our families, churches, cities, provinces/territories and nation.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" Ezek 37:4-6

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Prov 18:21

Thank you for your faithfulness in standing for the Lord's purposes to be fulfilled in the nation. If you receive anything specific from the Lord for any of these meetings, please send it to the appropriate regional discernment team of the Canadian Prayer Shield

BC/Yukon – bc@theshield.ca
Prairies/NWT – west@theshield.ca
Ontario – Ontario@theshield.ca
Quebec – quebec@theshield.ca
The Atlantic provinces – atlantic@theshield.ca
Nunavut – north@theshield.ca

We love you!

The Canadian Prayer Shield