Pray for the IST Group

Pray for the IST Group

Thanks for joining us in prayer as we intercede for the Balkan countries. This week let us pray for Intentional Strategies for Transformation, the ministry we steward. Every first week of the month we cover IST Group in prayer.

Last month the whole team was in Dallas, Texas for the Upper Room Global Summit and for the IST Group board meeting. (For a reminder of the prayers we prayed for that time see this link  http://istprayer.blogspot.hr/2016/04/pray-for-istgroup.html).

Thank you so much for your prayers while we were stateside. We were able to share the vision we carry with many. We had two new churches join us as partners. We love it when churches come on board with us, and likewise we honor all the individuals that give their sacrificial missions offering each month. We love and pray for our partners regularly.

Momentum is building here in Zagreb for the up-coming conference with Prophet Yonathan Lara from Argentina. There are five churches involved and we truly expect faith to be activated in this city and nation. The conference is May 26-28th!

The IST Group as a team will be going to Macedonia next weekend (May 6-8).  Zuzanna and Lidija will be ministering at the Daughters of the King Macedonija Conference, and Jerry will be visiting a house of prayer and a coffee shop ministry in Skopje, the capital.
 
Prayer Points:
1)    Thank you for continuing to lift up the IST group as we in collaboration with the Board suntan working towards the establishment of this vision. We are beyond blessed as we see it all coming together.
2)    Pray for the meeting with Yonathan Lara. Because of the cooperation of the 5 city leaders, the organizational piece is in good shape. We still lack some of the finances in order to cover the cost of this sizable undertaking.
3)    Pray that the same Spirit which poured out revival after revival in Argentina, would be poured out on this dry and thirsty land! We expect that believers faith will be activated and the result will be: true believers fulfilling their destiny.
4)    Pray for our time in Macedonia. May the Macedonian Call ring loud in our ears. Pray for Lidija as she leads the conference and pray for Zuzanna as she ministers. Pray for many Holy Spirit encounters.
5)    Pray for Jerry in Macedonia as he desire to reach people on the streets. Lord give him boldness to share the revelation of Jesus in power and in love.

What can I say; the Lord is just SO GOOD!

Pray for Bulgaria

As we pray for the Balkans each fourth week of the month, let us highlight Bulgaria this time.
We received feedback from some Bulgarian friends on conditions in their country.

From K.A.
Bulgarians celebrate Good Friday on April 29th and Easter on Sunday, May 1st. So, I think a primary prayer focus would be that more Bulgarians grasp the reality of Christ dying on the cross for our sins that we may join him in resurrection living.

From A.M.
Bulgaria is struggling spiritually - Many claim Christianity but it is cultural and not religious in nature.  Due to hard economic times many people work many jobs and have no time for God or the church.  They are still by enlarge a conservative people but with EU requirements that too is changing.
In some areas the Orthodox Church makes being an evangelical difficult but since it was revealed a few years ago that may of the Orthodox Church leaders were part of the communist party - even the Orthodox Church has lost its impact especially with the youth.

From P.R.
…we recently had a big crusade with Daniel Kolender. That CFAN ministries. [Daniel Kolender is being raised up to flow in the anointing of Reinhard Bonnke]

From the Facebook page of Evangelist Daniel Kolender
I thank God for what He did in Plovdiv, Bulgaria this past weekend! The power of the Holy Spirit touched so many people there. May Bulgaria continue to be changed by the power of the Gospel in Jesus name!

Prayer Points:
1)    Let us praise the Lord for the recent crusade by Daniel Kolendar and others. Thank You, Lord, for visiting Bulgaria through these evangelist.
2)    Let us pray that those receiving Jesus at this crusade would not fall away. Holy Spirit we ask that a special protection be assigned to their souls.
3)    We pray that follow up will be very active to nurture those that received Jesus.
4)    Let us pray that this Easter will be a time when many are drawn to Jesus the resurrected one. May all Bulgarian churches, even the Orthodox give extraordinary light to the power of the Lord’s resurrection.
5)    Many in Bulgaria and across the Balkan countries has lost faith in the church as an institution. May the word of hope go forth across Bulgaria and especially reclaim the youth.
6)    Let us pray for evangelist to be raised up in Bulgaria. This is a great need across the Balkans; evangelist that have a passion for the lost.
7)    May 1st is Orthodox Easter and also May Day. May Day is a socialist/communist backed celebration to honor the working class. Let us pray that Jesus would not be over shadowed this coming Sunday.
8)    Let us pray for the working class, which is actually all mankind, that they would see Jesus in the midst of their hard work. Market place ministry is available to every Christian.

Prayer for Zagreb 4/11/16



Pray for Zagreb, Croatia this week

Break the “Chains”.

Acts 16: ²³ And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. ²⁴ Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. ²⁵ But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.

Paul and Silas knew how to capture the attention of Heaven. They knew the power of thanksgiving and understood that the sound of high praise was the key to lifting their hearts above their situation into the presence and power of God. Not only did their chains fall off, but everyone's chains fell off!

Now personally we don’t want to receive stripes and be thrown in prison but we long for Zagreb to experience freedom. Metaphorically speaking, the people of Zagreb have also been beaten and thrown into prison.  

We must lift up high praise in Zagreb and believe God to break the chains.

Prayer Points:

1)     Let us approach His throne and ask for increased praise and worship to ascend over Zagreb.

2)     Lord, we ask for a sound from heaven that will invade the city and break the enemy’s chains.

3)     Lord, we ask for a team of sold-out totally committed worshipers and prayer warriors that will raise up a standard in Zagreb.

4)     Ask with us for the city of Zagreb. May it be our inheritance:

Psalms 2: 8-9
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.

5)     Lord, give us a spiritual rod of iron to beat the enemy into pieces. Help us to understand the spiritual warfare necessary to break the people’s chains.

6)     Let us proclaim and see liberty so Zagreb can experience an outpouring of His glory. 

Please leave a Comment or Reaction so we will know you Prayer

Pray for ISTgroup

Please pray with us for the ministry we steward, Intentional Strategies for Transformation (IST Group).

We are currently in Texas having attended the Upper Room Global Conference in Dallas. Which was a blessed time of being equipped and ministered to by our home church. We feel so spoiled, UR Dallas loves us well! While in America we are meeting with churches and donors, expressing our thankfulness for their continued partnership. We are also meeting with many to cast the vision for ministry needs and opportunities in Croatia and Southeaster Europe.

If you are in Texas and we have not had the chance to meet with you this time, we are so sorry. This is the hardest part of coming to visit that we never have time to see everyone.
 
Prayer Points:
1)    At the top of our focus right now is reaching the contribution goals needed to sustain the ministry. Pray that these goals will be reached.
2)    Pray for our safe travels during our remaining time in America and our return to Croatia.
3)    Our health has suffered some while in America, so pray we fully recover.
4)    We are truly being encouraged by many here in the States and feel renewed strength to carry the vision forth. We pray blessings and increase over our spiritual and financial partners and thank the Lord for their willingness to say ‘yes’.
5)    While here in Texas, we have had a very productive board meeting and our hearts are filled with joy, hope and anticipation for what God has in store for the IST Group and Southeastern Europe. We labored in prayer over the vision and believe God has a productive course set out for us. Pray with us as we walk through a few changes for transformation in Croatia and the region.
6)    Our Worship leader Lidija from our HOP in Zagreb is with us in the US. This has been a great time of impartation and catching the DNA of the Upper Room HOP for her. Pray that Lidija is able to absorb everything the Lord has for her here and  please pray that we are able to regain the momentum in the HOP we had before our trip to the US.

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

Pray for Zagreb

Pray for Zagreb,

This week IST Group is hosting a seminar on healing and how to pray for the sick. The guest speaker is Michael T. Miller, who is the Pastor of Upper Room in Denver, Colorado and the founder of www.Thomasministries.org. There are five churches/groups in the city of Zagreb who helped organize the event and believers from other churches will attend as well. This is significant because of the freedom Michael’s teaching and training will bring. It is also significant because a group of pastors who have been meeting to plan and pray for this event! Unity is very hard to come by in the Balkans and it is beautiful to see this flourishing.

The following story is one of the oddest things…

Man in wheelchair robs bank
By AFP - 11 March 2016 @ 11:31 PM 

ZAGREB: A Croatian man in a wheelchair robbed a bank after passers-by helped him to enter the premises, local media reported Friday.

“I have a bomb!” shouted the 35-year-old disabled man to shocked employees in a branch of Austria’s Erste Bank in downtown Zagreb, before forcing them to hand over the cash,...

The crime occurred on Wednesday evening only a few seconds after the man had politely thanked passers-by for helping him to enter the bank in his wheelchair, the paper said.
After employees handed over 50,000 kunas (US$7,300) the robber wheeled himself to a nearby taxi station where a cab driver helped him get into the car and put his wheelchair in the trunk.

Unaware of his client’s recent activities, the driver took the man towards the northern town of Bjelovar, where he was eventually arrested. –AFP http://www.mb.com.ph/man-in-wheelchair-robs-croatian-bank/  

This story odd as it might be, reveals the desperation rising in the citizenry. Crime has been relatively low here, but stories like this remind us of the looming economic troubles ailing this young nation.

Prayer Points
:1) We are looking for signs following those that believe. Pray that the city of Zagreb will not be like Nazareth where in Mark 6:5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. Let us pray for, Mark 16:17-18 instead. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;  they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
2) Lord Jesus, we look for Your visitation in Zagreb. Come and Make Yourself known like never before!
3) We are already seeing a shaking in the city among the Christians. Believe with us that churches will be changed as Jesus makes Himself known in the city.
4) It is believed that there are more Christians in the city that do not attend church than there are those who do. These were touched by Jesus but they were hurt by the church. Pray that they will see the real Jesus, forgive and move forward into the destiny God has for them.
5) Zagreb is a Catholic city, but God is stirring their hearts. We are beginning to see Catholic fringe groups who are awakening in Zagreb and in other parts of the country. Let us pray for these to come into the fullness and pray that they are welcomed by the Body of Christ. Because of the huge Catholic influence on this country, evangelicals tend to be very critical towards the Catholics.  These groups going through awakening can experience rejection from both evangelicals and Catholics alike.
6) Let us never forget to pray for the lost. With only about 1,000 believers that attend church in Zagreb, it is like swimming against the tide. Pray that mercy will be extended and Jesus lifted high.
7) Just like the bank robber in the wheelchair, we know there are many economically and spiritually desperate in Croatia. Pray for Gods wisdom and His solutions to be revealed for this city.
8) We ask special prayer for a lady that has been a great blessing to Croatia and many other Balkan nations. This faithful servant of the Lord was recently diagnosed with cancer. Pray that she would be healed and continue the work of the Lord!

For more information on ISTgroup go to www.istgroup.org

Thanks for praying for the Balkans with us. God hears.

Pray for ISTgroup

Pray for Intentional Strategies for Transformation

We have a full list of events to pray for ISTgroup this month:

1) Next week March 16-19, Michael T. Miller from Upper Room Denver is coming to hold a citywide seminar on Healing and Praying for the Sick. Expectancy is rising among the five churches cooperating in this seminar.
2) We are right now developing guidelines to begin accepting interns this summer for field service. Our four focuses this summer are: Serving in the House of Prayer, Evangelism, Community service to the poor and serving the local churches.
3) Preparations are on their way for a conference with Yonathan Lara form Argentina, scheduled for the end of May here in Zagreb. Yonathan is a 21-year-old prophetic voice who is well known in Latin America. His meetings last year in Zagreb were above expectations. Many in the city are eager to see him return! Please pray for the right venue and a strong translator.
4) March 23-27, we are making a trip to Dallas, Texas to attend Upper Room’s Global Conference. This is a gathering of the Upper Room extended family of ministries. Lidija, our UR Zagreb worship director is traveling with us.
5) Intentional Strategies for Transformation board meeting in Dallas at the end of the month. We want a solid foundation for the IST Group and for this reason we meet monthly for the next several months.

Prayer Points:
1) Pray with us for the Michael T. Miller meetings. Jesus said sings and wonders would follow those that believe. Let us pray for a release of healing miracles and the joy that follows.
2) Pray for the summer intern program. Pray that we are able to develop meaningful activities that will serve as a true benefit for His Kingdom, and one that will provide an enriching experience for the interns. Jesus, show us how to bless the Croatian people with the Gospel. May we be able to take them into His presence.
3) We will have more specific prayer points for the Yonathan Lara Conference in upcoming blogs, but for now, please pray for an excellent Spanish to Croatian translator. Pray for just the right venue that will be adequate for the people God wants to touch. Pray that all the finances will come together for the event.
4) Pray for the Upper Room Global Conference three weeks from now. Please pray that there is an impartation of His Spirit at the conference. May each of us be refreshed and return with sharpened vision to see His Glory manifest in this land.
5) Pray for the IST Group board meeting and for God infused strategies to be birth out of this strong team of board members.

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.