Pray for the Balkans

Pray for the Balkans


Heroes and Villains

Heroes and villains is what the Balkans is all about. One ethnic group’s hero is another group’s villain. One nation’s war criminals are another nation’s victorious heroes. Keeping the peace in the Balkans is very complex. Due to the many past wars and the multi-national populations of each country, this is the reality here. There seems to be a war somewhere in the Balkans every 25-40 years. This is a curse which has devastated this region and this cycle must and can be broken by the power of Jesus Christ.

The following stories are rooted in this problem. A small portion of each article will give you a taste of the challenges. You can open the links to read the full articles.
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Croatian Anne Frank Tribute Commemorates Fascists’ Victims
The anti-fascist association in the town of Sibenik will mark Holocaust Remembrance Day with a reading of Anne Frank’s diary after a local school director barred an exhibition about the WWII diarist. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/croatian-museum-marks-holocaust-with-anne-frank-01-26-2017
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Albanians Await Access to Communist-Era Police Files
State institutions and individuals have started applying for access to information kept confidential in secret police files for more than 25 years after the Albanian Communist regime fell. - See more at: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albanian-institutions-request-communism-secret-police-check-ups-01-26-2017#sthash.8X11R4lo.dpuf
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Montenegro’s Bosniaks Thwart Njegos National Holiday
Montenegro’s government dropped plans to declare the birthday of Petar II Petrovic Njegos a national holiday after opposition from Bosniaks who accuse the poet-prince of glorifying the killing of Muslims.
The Bosniak Party said at the time that certain ideas in Njegos’s works “were used to justify genocide against the Muslim community in both the 19th and 20th centuries in Montenegro and in the region”. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosniaks-oppose-memorialisation-of-montenegro-s-royal-poet-njegos-12-29-2016
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Defiant Bosnian Serbs Celebrate Banned ‘National Day’
Celebrations in the Bosnian Serb entity Republika Srpska saw a ratcheting up of independence rhetoric as well as high-level spats over the participation of members of the country’s armed forces.
Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik used the occasion of the biggest-ever celebration of the Day of Republika Srpska, which went ahead on Monday in defiance of a ban by Bosnia's Constitutional Court, to demand greater autonomy for the entity.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnian-serbs-hold-national-day-despite-ban-01-09-2017

Prayer Points:
1)    The “Peace Maker” must be welcomed in every Balkan country. Only Jesus can bring permanent peace. Lord, let Your presence come to this region and bring true transformation.
2)    Pray that ethnic groups in the Balkans would learn the power of forgiveness. This must be supernatural, as hatred is such an intricate part of the Balkans. 
3)   Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. This verse comforts us as Christians and it shows the depths of God’s love. Pray that all Christians in the Balkans would be able to accept God’s forgiveness so they can forgive others.
4)    Pray that Christians would be the example to their countrymen in showing the freedom of forgiveness.
5)    There are Balkan-wide Christian efforts that are displaying unity among ethnic groups. Pray for Brother’s Keepers and Daughters of the King. Two annual regional gatherings which have done much to bring healing in the past 10 years.
6)    The battle is not against men but against spiritual principalities in high places. 6)    Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Let us stand in the gab against these spiritual host of wickedness that have been stirring up hatred in the Balkans for centuries.

Please leave a Comment or Reaction so we will know you Prayed.

Pray for Croatian

Pray for Croatia

IN THE NEWS: Croatia’s Far Right Weaponizes the Past

“The European Union’s newest member, Croatia, has an unabashed and strong-willed fascist in its new cabinet — one who makes the right-wingers in power in Hungary and Poland look like wimps. The contested figure is Zlatko Hasanbegović, a 42-year-old historian who became culture minister in late January after the country’s latest election produced a new right-wing ruling coalition. Hasanbegović had been a prominent figure in a small ultra-rightist party that openly extols the fascist World War II-era Ustasha movement (He left the party and is now unaffiliated, though he has never renounced it). As a historian, his work focuses on downplaying the crimes of the Ustasha and cautiously rehabilitating its ideas. Unlike the right-wingers in Poland and Hungary who are eviscerating their states’ democratic structures, the Croatian nationalists are waging their war within the realm of political culture — for now. Their goal is to lay the groundwork for an eventual assault on the country’s liberal democracy”, writes Foreign Policy.
http://www.total-croatia-news.com/politics/11762-foreign-policy-magazine-criticises-croatia-s-new-government

In the Balkans, digging up the political past has no redemptive value. The past is full of ethnic, territorial and political ghosts that only fuel revenge. Hatred runs deep and generations have been passing it on for a thousand years. It even penetrates the churches here. Having been in Croatia now for over years, we have seen the ugly face of back-biting, slander, dishonor and perpetual division.  As citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven we know how to combat these continual divisions, we must come in the opposite spirit. At ISTgroup our desire is to operate from a place of honor regardless of who we are dealing with. We cultivate honor in our lives and others as we encounter Him daily in the Upper Room here in Zagreb. At the ISTgroup we as a team are about about to begin a workbook study on the “Culture of Honor” by Danny Silk. If you have not read this book, we highly recommend it.
 
Prayer Points:
1)    Pray for the government of Croatia; right wing, left wing, they all need Jesus.
2)    There is fear and hopelessness among Croatians regarding the direction of the government. We pray for Jesus lovers to raise up into all spheres of government and society in order to influence culture in Croatia.
3)    Croatia, just like every other country in the world, needs Godly men and women to rise up and call upon the Lord to redeem their country from corruption. Let us pray for the Lord to raise up a Moses in Croatia. Someone that hears the cry of their people.
4)    Division in and among the churches is limiting spiritual and numerical growth in Croatia. Let us pray that Christians would be convicted of slandering other Christians.
5)    Help us Lord to honor everyone. Let us pray for the revelation of a culture of honor to take root in our Croatian brothers and sisters.
6)    The redemption of a country always starts with intercessors. Lord, we pray for the coming together of intercessors to pray for Croatia. The burning hearts need to unite and cause a fire.
7)    At the Upper Room here in Zagreb, we are praying for the country. Pray that we would stay faithful to our calling. Pray that we endure until we see a greater light shine and Lord show us how to maintain the light.
8)    It has been prophesied that God is raising up a hidden Christian army in Croatia. Let us all pray into this word and ask God to bring them forth quickly.

The following video is a powerful prophetic word for Europe that was given by Tim Morley near the end of April 2016. Tim Morley is introduced by Aliss Cresswell of Morning Star Europe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQfs7nSHGGU

Pray for Bosnia Herzegovina

In our quest to pray for one Balkan country at the end of each month, it just so happened that it is Bosnia Herzegovina's (BH) turn at this time. We also just returned from BH, where we were honored to have been guest speakers for a Prayer Summit at Rafeal Church in the capital, Sarajevo.

Pastors Robert and Sandrina Jurjuvich and their congregation were truly encouraged and built up, but in the same time we were also blessed by the believers and encouraged by their stories.

While there, we met a couple who has led a house of prayer in the city for two years. We were so encouraged! More and more it is being confirmed to us that God is on the move in these last days through houses of prayer.

Acts 15:16-17 (NKJV)
‘After this I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the Lord who does all these things.’

We were encouraged by news from the locals concerning the government cracking down on corruption and cronyism. The main reason for this crackdown is BH’s path of entry into the European Union. We do consider this an answer to prayer. Over the years of praying for the Balkan countries, corruption has always been high on the list. We rejoice in this and thank each of you who so faithfully pray with us week after week. Your prayers are making a difference!

Prayer Points:
1) Lord we thank you for the increased desire of Bosnians to build on the foundation of prayer and intercession. May they apply those principles in their lives and ministry.
2) Let us pray that the Lord would come in power and divine purpose to move through BH for the saving of many! Lord raise up evangelists and reveal Your strategy to them.
3) Thank You Jesus for the leaders of the HOP and their  sacrifice to intercede for this nation many hours each week. Lord, we ask for the fruit of their labor to be multiplied beyond what they can contain.
4) Let us pray for Rafeal Church and pastors Robert and Sandrina. May they be positioned by the Lord to receive a great harvest of souls in Sarajevo. May their excitement and vision continue to grow.

Malachi 4:1-3 (NKJV)
“For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But to you who fear My name
The Sun of Righteousness shall arise
With healing in His wings;
And you shall go out
And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
3 You shall trample the wicked,
For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
On the day that I do this,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

5) We believe the above verses are to be declared before the Lord in regards to corruption in BH.
6) Oh Lord, we ask for cleansing fire to come upon the government and business that roots out corruption in BH.
7) Lord, come and replace the wicked with men and women of righteousness. Let us pray for government authorities and business leaders that love justice.
8) Then Jesus, we believe Bosnia will “grow fat like stall-fed calves.” Let us pray for the blessing of increase to come upon those that have in their heart to bless others.
9) Lord, we know that to our natural eyes this seem impossible for present-day BH, but You, oh Lord, are great and mighty and there is nothing impossible for You.