House of Prayer

DAY 27: What does a house of prayer have to do with government? First, we know that the Church is supposed to be a "house of prayer" (see Isaiah 56:7; Matthew 21:13). Second, we know that Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 urges us to pray first of all for our government and leaders "in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." In other words, government impacts our lives and we should pray for our leaders with the goal in mind of having good government.

Throughout the Bible we see that God deals with nations and governments, kings and authorities. Amazingly, we also see that God wants us to participate with Him to change governments and history by prayer (read Nehemiah, Daniel, etc.). Now we are seeing a powerful move of God raising up houses of prayer with a focus on praying for good government. Based on God's promises, better government is coming.

God Almighty Reigns

DAY 26: The preamble of the Arizona constitution states that we are "grateful to Almighty God for our liberties." Revelation 19:6 says... "Hallelelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns." A fundamental nature of God is that He exercises government. It is significant that our state acknowledges the One True God and His pre-eminence over our government. Godly government brings freedom-- personally, when He rules in our own life, and throughout our land, when our government reflects His ways.

Inheriting the Land

DAY 25: In so many places in the Bible, God grants promises to His people about inheriting the land. In Psalm 37 these promises are repeated several times. His promises to us begin with... "trust in the Lord..." "commit your way to the Lord..." "rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him..." and conclude with... "for evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land." I love God's word in Joshua 1:13... "The Lord your God gives you rest, and will give you this land."

Grace Upon Grace

DAY 24: At sunrise we participated in our 5th consecutive Monday morning "Jericho March" at the State Capitol as part of the 40 days. The number "5" in Hebrew is generally accepted to mean "God's grace". As we began our quiet walk around the Capitol grounds (the first six walks are silent; the 7th, which will take place on 9/11/06, involves the sounding of the trumpets, shofars, and giving a great shout-- see Joshua 6), I was immediately reminded of the verse, "where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more" (Romans 5:20). We serve a wonderful God. May His grace upon grace abound for our government, our land, and the people of Arizona.

Rest

DAY 23: "Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it... For we who have believed enter that rest" (Hebrews 4:1,3).

Victory in Tucson

DAY 22: On day 22 (see Isaiah 22:22) of the 40-day "Siege in the Desert", by the grace of God and His orchestration and command, a team of humble intercessors traveling from "The Furnace" participated in an historic victory in Tucson earlier today. The testimony of divine appointments, scriptural authority and confirmation, bore witness that the horror of abortion was dealt with at the original Margaret Sanger clinic location in central Tucson-- the root of Planned Parenthood and abortion in Arizona. The victory is the Lords!

Siege in Tucson

DAY 21: A focal issue during these 40 days of prayer and fasting is the legal horror of abortion. Tomorrow a team from the "Furnace" is going to Tucson to 'lay the axe to the root' of abortion in Arizona. Many do not know that Margaret Sanger spent the latter half of her life in Tucson. While there, she developed a relationship with Peggy Goldwater (Barry Goldwater's first wife) and other prominent Arizona women. With this backing Sanger established what would be the first Planned Parenthood abortion center in Arizona in 1935. By 1937 they also established a center in Phoenix. Now, there are many abortion centers throughout the state.

Please support this intercessory team in prayer.

Reinforcements

DAY 20: We are half way through the 40 days of the "Siege in the Desert"! It has already been a truly remarkable experience with hundreds of participants and dozens of churches represented at the central "Furnace" location near downtown Phoenix. These numbers are far larger when combined with all of the "Satellite Fires" which take place every evening of the week. At the "Furnace" the demands of maintaining shifts of prayer teams around the clock are great, but the rewards of participating are far greater.

If you have a heart after God and for Arizona, please check out the "FaceDown40 - Siege in the Desert" website: www.azhop.net. We have been especially moved to invite families to come to the "Furnace" and 'station' themselves (see Nehemiah 4:9,13-14) in this work of God to "rebuild" the wall of prayer, good government, revival and restoration for our state. We have also designated Saturday, September 9 as "FAMILY DAY" where families can sign up to take one-hour shifts of prayer at the "Furnace" throughout that day.

Come to the "Furnace", pray, and sign up for "FAMILY DAY" on September 9 -- we need you and Arizona needs you!

Refuge and Rest

DAY 19: Today we saw a vision of Arizona as a place of refuge and rest. This means many things... good government, secure borders, a dramatic reduction in drugs, crime, pornography, gambling, abortion, corruption, etc... and the establishment of houses of prayer throughout the state. Even the government process will reveal the unfolding wisdom of God. There will be a tangible presence of the Lord, including the fear of the Lord. Wickedness will be cut off. The streets will be safe and family life will be restored. The land will be blessed. The state will shine with the glory of the Lord.

Double Whammy

DAY 18: On Sunday, August 13 at Skyway Church of the West Valley, as one of the events of this 40-day "Siege", Cindy Jacobs prayed for the exposure of drug rings and prophecied that there would be a major drug bust, saying that she "saw" drug smuggling through underground tunnels. On the very next day, Monday, August 14, one of the three largest Mexican drug kingpins was caught off the coast of San Diego. Central to this drug operation was an elaborate tunnel system under the Mexican-California border.

Now, in today's Arizona Republic, Felipe de Jesus Corona-Verbera, the builder of "Cocaine Alley" - a 200-foot tunnel from a house in Agua Prieta, Sonora to a warehouse in Douglas, Arizona, was finally sentenced to 18 years in jail after being apprehended in 2003. This drug tunnel was discovered after more than 2 TONS of cocaine were seized in Phoenix.

Double whammy -- and we ask for more.

Family by Family

DAY 17: In the book of Nehemiah, the people faced a great enemy all about, but he called the people to stand together family by family to rebuild the wall of their city. In this day and age it seems that we do less and less as families. For that reason and many others, we are seeing the breakdown of the fundamental building block of society. It is time to come back together as families, beginning with prayer.

"I stationed the people in families (and said to them)... 'Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses'" - Nehemiah 4:13-14.

Remove One, Exalt Another

DAY 16: Psalm 75 says, "Do not lift up your horn on high, do not speak with insolent pride. For not from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert comes exaltation; but God is the Judge; He puts down one, and exalts another." Here in this desert, we stand and pray according to God's word which is true and does not return void (Isaiah 55:11). He removes the arrogant and exalts the humble at the proper time (1 Peter 5:6).

A Time for Healing

DAY 15: Testimonies of healings are beginning to surface. A lady experiencing a seizure was immediately calmed and then completely healed. Another woman had her fever immediately leave her. A painful limp was healed. The reports are new, but appear valid. The Saturday evening session of The Furnace is now dedicated as a "Healing Service" and e-mail requests for healing are also being taken for prayer. We received 3 pages of requests in the first few hours of the announcement. We prayed for each individually. We will continue to receive these and pray. It seems that God is saying: 'it is a time for healing.'

A Model State

DAY 14: Arizona is to be a model state for the nation. This includes leading the way in prayer and transformation for such fundamental issues as abortion, marriage, crime, pornography, and immigration. Good government in Arizona is essential. The prayers are fervent and continuous.

Heart Toward Mexico

DAY 13: Prayer has picked up with even more intensity for our hearts to turn toward our neighbor Mexico. Whatever your current views on illegal immigration, we pray that the Church, and hopefully all Arizonans, will move in compassion. God is righteous, just and merciful. He is a God of law and order, AND He has many promises for the poor, afflicted and "alien". Government is to provide security for a nation's legal citizens, AND we are a nation of freedom and opportunity for immigrants.

It has been spoken that Arizona will be the model for addressing the illegal immigration issue. We pray fervently for God to speak and grant the Church and our government leaders, and those to be elected, His wisdom and revelation to lead the nation.

Foundation of Marriage

DAY 12: On the eve of my own anniversary of marriage to my beautiful bride, I marvel at the blessing and foundation of marriage. When a marriage is strong, the family is so much more likely to be strong and stable. When marriages are strong, the community is so much more likely to be strong and stable. "For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one..." was written thousands of years ago and recorded in Genesis 2:24. This proclamation came before there was a city or a national government. Marriage is a foundation of society ordained by God. "What God has joined together, let no man put asunder" (Matthew 19:6).

Two Sticks

DAY 11: In the Old Testament, Ezekiel 37 is famous for Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones. The next vision in the same chapter, though less known, is even more applicable to what God accomplished this evening at Love International Outreach Fellowship. A special "Satellite Fire" bi-lingual prayer gathering with Daniel Brymer leading worship and Cindy Jacobs bringing the prophetic word, in cooperation with Arizona Call to Prayer - BridgeBuilders and Love International, took place with more than 2,000 participants. After powerful, united bi-lingual worship and praise, Cindy spoke directly of the need for the marriage of righteousness and justice regarding the very difficult immigration issue.

The vision of two sticks... There was a very significant time of repentance for the many injustices toward Hispanics. The repentance and forgiveness granted was deep and genuine. I believe it brought a spiritual breakthrough in the right direction. "And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick... then take another stick... then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand... and I will make them one nation in the land... and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations, and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms" (Ezekiel 37:15-22).

Abortion Illegal in AZ

DAY 10: After 2 hours of "deliberation" in intercession, while in session for the new spiritual constitution of Arizona, built upon the word of God and decades of the prayers of the saints, abortion was decreed illegal in Arizona at 9:00pm on Monday, August 14 in the year of our Lord 2006.

Taking the Point

DAY 9: At our gathering this evening, national prophetic voice Cindy Jacobs expounded on the role of Arizona to "take the point" for our nation in the spiritual battle for our culture. Recognizing key historical circumstances, repenting, and breaking the "strongholds" of such fundamental practices as abortion, are parts of our assignment.

On February 18, 1937, Margaret Sanger spoke to a group of prominent Phoenix women, including Mrs. Barry Goldwater who would become her close friend, and inspired them to raise funds for a "family planning" clinic in Phoenix. Later that year on October 1, the "Mother's Health Clinic of Phoenix" opened their doors. In 1942, the clinic affiliated with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and continued to expand their services. In the 1960s, the birth control pill began distribution. In the 1970s, four more clinics were opened and vasectomy and abortion services were provided. Margaret Sanger made her home in Tucson from 1937 until her death in 1966 at the age of 86.

A New Constitution

DAY 8: This evening we convened a new constitutional convention for Arizona. After a bullet review of the history of Arizona-- from the proclamation of a new territorial government officially organized at Navajo Springs (in northeastern Arizona) on December 29, 1863 to the first Constitutional Convention convened on October 10, 1910 with statehood established on February 14, 1912... We convened to write a new spiritual constitution for Arizona with the Most High God over our government, our people, our land. His ways shall govern.

Constitution defined: "Fundamental law determining the political principles of a government." "A system, often codified in a written document, which establishes the fundamental rules and principles by which an organization is governed."

See Habakkuk 2:2-3; Ephesians 3:10; 1 Peter 2:9, Deuteronomy 5:1-21; Isaiah 33:22; Matthew 20:25-28; Matthew 6:9-13...

Sons and Daughters

DAY 7: Crying out for the restoration of a right relationship of parents with their sons and daughters... "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse" (Malachi 4:6). Broken families, desperate youth, abuse, addictions, searching... sons and daughters need to know the love of their Father.

Life vs. Death

DAY 6: The Furnace continues to burn with the flames of passion and fervency. Central is God's heart for life over death. Abortion-- one of man's rawest expressions of convenience and greed which issues death in the name of choice. There is a cry in the desert of repentance and for change. It is a battle of life vs. death.

Rivers in the Desert

DAY 5: Even as there is a series of stories about the "ruined rivers" of Arizona in the Arizona Republic this week, there is concerted prayer for their restoration. In Isaiah 41 God says, "I will open rivers on the bare heights, and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land fountains of water... that they may see and recognize, and consider and gain insight as well, that the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it." And in Isaiah 43 God says, "Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert." Isaiah 44:3... "For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground." See also Isaiah 35!

Praying for good government includes praying for the restoration of the land.

Forged in the Furnace

DAY 4: Prayer has a profound effect on the pray-er. Praying together in a "furnace" of sustained prayer has the profound effect of forging lives together with a common bond that strengthens a company into a unified army. When focused on a mission greater than ourselves, how much more. Like steel hardened, joined and refined, we are forged in the Furnace.

Preparing a Table

DAY 3: As I sat down at a table in the "Old Senate" room on the 3rd floor of the original State Capitol, there was a notebook and forms to fill out prayers and declarations for our state as part of the 40 days. Arizona's government was formed on the wings of prayers including upon those of the first chaplain of the Constitutional Convention, the Rev. Seaborn Crutchfield, in 1910. As soon as I considered what to write, two passages came one after another. "My peace I give to you, not as the world gives..." (John 14:27) and "You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies" (Psalm 23:5). The preparations are made and we are given peace under God even as we war for the destiny of our state and nation.

Nightwatch Warriors

There is a new army of youth rising -- full of zeal, praying God's word with authority, sacrificing, intense, focused, walking in freedom and purity, not perfect, but gaining power. I just came from a prayer session of a company of youth just beginning at the midnight hour and set to go through into the morning watch at 4am. "Prayer session" isn't the right descriptive... "warrior worship and intercession" is more like it. Warring for good government, godly leaders, truth, righteousness and justice. Nightwatch warriors.

A Stand at the Capitol

DAY 2: For nearly two months, and now as part of the "FaceDown40 - Siege in the Desert", Sundays at the Capitol worship and prayer events take place on the House lawn of the Arizona State Capitol from 6:00pm - 7:30pm. We believe that... "though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses" (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). These spiritual weapons include worship and intercession. We come bringing a blessing. We are making a stand at the Capitol.

Most High God

On the second evening of the 40 days, Lou Engle continued his call to action. There are times to go on the offense--to strike--when the Lord sets up a showdown between good and evil. For example, God positioned Samson against the ruling Philistines in Judges 14. God used Elijah against the prophets of baal in 1 Kings 18. There was a showdown on Mount Carmel. God is looking for a people to make a stand for Him so that He can be recognized as the true Most High God! This is such a time.

The Tipping Point

We received a message recently about the "Tipping Point" applying to these 40 days of prayer and fasting. The tipping point is the small difference that makes a big difference. The one degree difference between 33 degrees Fahrenheit and 32 degrees was given as an example. One degree may be barely noticeable at other temperatures, but it can make the difference between rain and snow at the freezing point. There are times and events that bring tipping point opportunities. We believe this 40 days presents such a time for the shift toward good government.

Call to Order

Last night on Friday, August 4 at 7:05pm, after a brief introduction, Lou Engle (of The Cause) struck the gavel upon the sounding block to officially begin "FaceDown40 - The Siege in the Desert". Joined by an overflow crowd of intercessors from around the Valley, and with a large contigent of youth who are traveling across the country from the East Coast, there was extensive worship and then a clarion call by Lou for engagement in these 40 days of prayer and fasting.