Leaders have been meeting together for several years on a regularly weekly basis to seek God’s heart for the town, to listen and to pray. Over the years we have made notes in what has become known as ‘the book’ and would like to share some of these with you for your encouragement and prayer, thinking of these verses in 1 Kings 18: 41- 45.
And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”
So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”
Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.
Elijah knew that the rain would be coming because God had spoke it, but he stil had to get down on his knees and pray it in, while being proactive in sending his servant backwards and forwards to keep watch and let him know when the rain was imminent. In the same way, we have received these words for Ipswich, and continue to wait in faith for those that have still to come.
March 9th: “The bridegroom is calling forth the song of the bride”
March 17th: God is calling us to be wholehearted - the heart cry to know God’s heart for Ipswich, to break through to the point of tears
March 24th: The cry of God’s heart is for intercession and justice. Amos 5:21-24
March 27th: God is light, in him there is no darkness (1John 1)
Declare and pray over Ipswich (from Psalm 43):“SEND FORTH YOUR LIGHT AND YOUR TRUTH”
“Ambassadors of Christ and Agents of Hope’ of the“God who gives life to the dead and calls intobeing things that were not” (Romans 4:17)
March 10th: Praying for the Northern Fringe development - for“living stones” and the“planting of seeds”
Word from the Parable of the 10 virgins:“Be cautious; be prepared; go and buy oil: fill up”
March 17th: “The Lord revealed that we are about to step into a new place. First we must confess and consecrateourselves. It is time to move out of‘downcastness’ into new life, the soul of Ipswich will be revived”.
March 24th: The refiner’s fire - the silversmith who sees his face reflected in the surface when all the impurities are removed - it’s a process
March 8th: Habakkuk 3:17-19 and Joel 2:28-32
March 22nd: Jesus weeping over the religious city ofJerusalem
“Is the Church in Ipswich UNITED in the Easter message?
March 21st: A picture -“The two hands of God. In one the nail mark, in the other (the size of a tennis ball), the world.
Also the two major spirits (false idols) over our nation: the Spirit of Mammon and the Spirit of Fornication (false sex)“Break your Church free” was prayed.
March 28th: Exodus 17, Moses was praying for the battle but needed others to hold up his arms (we do too).
Numbers 32: The Gadites and Reubenites were happy where they were and settled for the attractiveness of the presentinstead of going through discomfort etc for God’s best.
March 14th: “Fools mock the need forrepentance while the favour of God rests on his lovers” (Proverbs 14: 9 - the Passion Bible)