King David wrote in one of his psalms, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). This was the wonderful challenge before us during the 40 Days of Delight which finished on Sunday 29 March.
Since 2012, the Canberra Declaration has been a main proponent of the National Day of Prayer & Fasting followed by 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting during Lent. Here you can watch the first of six episodes of a TV series produced by Trinity Broadcasting Network during the 40 Days of Delight. Each episode showed some footage from the 2015 National Day of Prayer & Fasting Prayer Service in the Great Hall of Parliament House in Canberra.
|
|
|
40 Days of Delight - Episode 1 with footage from National Day of Prayer & Fasting in Canberra
|
Each year it has been our joy to share what we discern are possible answers to prayer. In this Good News Update we want to highlight three possible answers to prayer which relate to one of the main focus areas of the Canberra Declaration - the sanctity of human life. We thank God for these life breakthroughs.
Day 7 (24 Feb) - Despite our Prime Minister's Week from Hell, 26 January to 1 February, a leadership spill threat on 9 February and his lowest ratings in 5 years, Newspoll showed that Tony Abbott's ratings actually jumped on this day by four points! How do we explain this?
During this year's National Day of Prayer & Fasting on 15 February, a Korean minister from New York asked if he could say a prayer for Tony Abbott and the Government. We believe the prayer he prayed on his knees in the Great Hall (listen to it at 6:53 min in the above footage) as well as many prayers for our nation during the 40 Days of Delight are being answered.
We need to continue to pray that Tony Abbott will complete his term as Prime Minister. He upholds the sanctity of human life and the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. If a motion to spill the leadership ever succeeds, the main challenger will most likely be Malcolm Turnbull who is a supporter of abortion and homosexual 'marriage'.
|
A BIG THANK YOU!
We thank God that the push for a conscience vote on homosexual 'marriage' fizzled in the Liberal Party Room on Tuesday 24 March (Day 35). And the second reading of the Freedom to Marry Bill planned for Thursday 26 March was withdrawn. Praise God!
Thank you to everyone who wrote emails to Liberal MPs and Senators. Tens of thousands of emails were received by each one of them. A comment was made that those asking the Liberals to keep their strong marriage stand were 5 times more than those against.
Please pray against any further mutinous intentions in the Liberal party against our Prime Minister.
|
|
|
Paul Russell
Director of HOPE |
Day 23 (12 March) - The Northern Territory Branch of the Australian Medical Association expelled Philip Nitschke, often referred to as Dr Death, from its ranks. This news came immediately after the death of Nitschke's legal council, Peter Nugent QC, who apparently ended his own life. The decision was a long-awaited development of a legal process which began in July last year when Nitschke, as a medical doctor with duty of care, failed to refer a suicidal Perth man for counselling. Many were wondering why the process was going so slowly. We believe this life breakthrough is an answer to prayer!
Paul Russell, Director of HOPE: preventing euthanasia & assisted suicide based in Adelaide, shared that "the suspension of Nitschke's medical licence continues pending the hearing of a dozen complaints to the Australian Health Professionals Regulation Agency about the activities of the Exit 'death cult' (as journalist Angela Shanahan called it) and Philip Nitschke. He has lodged an appeal to the original suspension and that hearing is listed for the Supreme Court in Darwin in early April". Please keep praying.
Day 35 (24 March) - Catholic Archbishop Christopher Prowse led prayers during a 40 Days for Life vigil outside an abortion clinic in Canberra. This is the very first 40 Days for Life campaign in Canberra which this year joins 559 cities in 27 countries around the world to pray and fast for an end to abortion. This includes six other Australian cities - Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane.
