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Fasting & Prayer: Defeating the Jebusites

Description: Klang Valley 2011 40-Day Fast & Prayer Launch

Fasting & Prayer: Defeating the Jebusites

10th August, 2011

THE 40 days of fasting and prayer for the nation have begun. When undertaking such an effort which has spiritual dimensions, distractions and challenges are bound to crop up.

Let us remember the exhortation at the Klang Valley launch of the 40-day campaign last week on 2 Aug at SIB KL. The word that night was not to let the "spirit of the Jebusites" - the spirit that whispers defeat, doubt and intimidation to our inner man - cause us to be disheartened.

Ps Dr Lew Lee Choo

SIB KL deputy senior pastor Ps Dr Lew Lee Choo, who gave the message, spoke on David's capture of Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 5. The Jebusites, the last of the pagan Canaanite people yet to be removed from the promise land, had taunted David and his army with the might of their blind and lame.

"This is the same spirit that says to us, 'It cannot be done, Malaysia is such a terrible place, there is no more hope.' Such words are sown into our spirit to discourage us.

"The key to spiritual warfare therefore lies in our inner spirit. Let us pray first to be rid of our fear and distrust," Ps Lew said.

NECF Secretary-General Sam Ang in his launch message said the Malaysian church in the last few years was "becoming a force to be reckoned with" because of Christians' willingness to be vocal and take a stand on injustice.

Indeed, in no other period has the church made the news headlines so often than in the last three years. Ps Lew added that 2011 felt like a very important year for prayer to reclaim Malaysia's blessing of racial harmony which has been eroding in recent years.

New Covenant Church senior pastor Rev Elisha Satvinder, who led in prayer for the church, also reminded Christians that transformation must begin in the church before the rest of the nation can be impacted.

"If we want this nation to be rid of racism and corruption, we must rid the church of these things first," he said.

The 40-Day Fast & Prayer has been launched in Penang, Ipoh, and across Sabah and Sarawak in various cities and towns.

At the Klang Valley launch at SIB KL, more than 500 people came, the largest attendance at any of the previous 40-Day Fast & Prayer launches. One NECF staff also observed that there was a higher number of senior pastors from various churches present, compared to previous years. If these are indications that Christians are troubled enough about the state of the nation, let these also be signs that many, many more will rise up in prayer!



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