On Brokenness

A few posts having to do with brokenness:

Lucy at Creative Christianity says, among other things:

Brokenness is essential to power in the Lord. Many want the power and victory of the Lord, and make altar calls to receive power, but it would be more advisable to make altar calls to pray for brokenness, for only when we are broken do we realize our need for God, and his reign in our lives, and give him the way to do as he wishes in us.

While Lucy makes the connection between brokenness and power, Ray Pritchard says,

God will do whatever it takes to get us to deal with our sin. First we are broken, then we are blessed. This is how God moves us from where we are to where he wants us to be.

And finally, Karen Marie at From the Anchor Hold quotes Richard Wurmbrand at length. Wurmbrand was held in a concentration camp by the Communists. This quote cannot be excerpted, but must be read as a whole . . . you will not regret it.

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Evenstar has really got me thinking about Bali. I have often heard people say that they had a burden to pray for certain countries. I don't know for sure that that's happening with me, but I do know I was deeply moved when I began to pray for Rita in Bali, and so I continue to do so, and for the nation of Indonesia, but especially the state of Bali. I've been learning a little about Bali from the Internet. Here's a very informative page, a prayer profile for the Balinese people of Indonesia. In this article you'll find the following list of prayer needs for Bali:

Pray that God will send additional Christian laborers to work among the Balinese of Indonesia.

Ask God to strengthen, encourage, and protect the believers living in Bali.

Pray that the Balinese believers will have opportunities to share the Gospel with their own people.

Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the Balinese so that they might receive the Gospel when it is presented to them.

Pray that the Lord will reveal Himself to these precious people through dreams and visions.

Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Balinese bound.

Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through intercession.

Pray that strong local churches will be raised up among the Balinese.