2022 WNOP Leadership Retreat

The 2022 WNOP Leadership Retreat held April 6-8, 2022 at UPCI World Headquarters in Weldon Spring, Missouri, was successfully IMPACTFUL! The event theme was “Make Him KNOWN.” Prayer leaders from across America gathered to participate in this event. The retreat was designed to greater equip leaders and to provide direction in the ministry of prayer. This year the retreat had a youth-oriented focus, with main speaker Jeremy Stafford, UPCI Youth Ministries Secretary. There were leaders and students from Urshan College attending and involved in the agenda. Prayer ministry training and youth prayer advancement were key goals in this event! It was reinforced that prayer is a vital force in every home, community, church, locality, etc., as well as every prayer ministry and youth ministry, working together to make a transformational difference in the kingdom of God!

The Lord moved in a powerful way in each session! Everyone departed inspired, motivated, and filled with purpose and vision in the work of the Kingdom of God. Many attendees expressed how the retreat greater equipped them in prayer ministry and had transformed their lives. The following photos and comments illustrate the indelible impact that was made upon the attendees. It was an amazing time of training and empowerment unto the glory of God!

Flo Shaw

Director

World Network of Prayer

PHOTOS:

Prayer for Increased Faith

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for…” (Hebrews 11:1).

HOW FAITH MAY BE INCREASED

“Abraham staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. And being fully persuaded that what He had promised He was able to perform” (Romans 4:20-21). We would like to give you the true meaning of faith before we take up the text. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is counting Him faithful who promised. “Sarah judged Him faithful who had promised” (Hebrews 11:11). Faith believes God is able. “By faith Abraham when he was tried offered Isaac, accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure” (Hebrews 11:19). Faith is to ask in faith nothing wavering, “…for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing from God” (James 1:6-7). Faith believes while the answer is on the way. “Therefore I say unto you, whatsoever things ye desire when you pray, believe that you receive and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24).

What Faith Is Not

Faith is not feeling that prayer is answered. Faith has not the slightest relationship with feelings and sensory evidence. Anyone that lets their feelings direct them will never have unwavering faith. Our feelings fluctuate, roll to and fro, rise and fall. But God’s Word never changes.

There Are Many Kinds of Faith

Weak faith, strong faith, little faith, great faith, unfeigned faith, temporary faith, historical faith, mental faith, active faith, wavering faith, unwavering faith, human faith, and divine faith. We don’t have space to discuss all the different kinds of faith, but we would like to mention two or three: especially temporary faith. In Luke 8:13, we find this kind of faith illustrated: “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for awhile believe, and in time of temptation fall away.” This reminds us of Peter before he received the Holy Ghost, he thought he could die with the Lord, but when the test came, he denied the Lord. He thought he could walk on water, but when he saw the wind and waves, his faith failed. But on the Day of Pentecost, Peter received unwavering faith and promised it to you (Acts 2:38). The Pharisees had historical faith. They believed God worked miracles for Abraham, but didn’t believe that God would do it for them. The churches are still full of these kinds of people. This kind of faith will never get an answer from God. However, faith can be increased by the following bullet-point applications.

Pray that We (the Church) Apply the Following and Our Faith Be Increased…

• By Looking Unto the Promises of God. “By looking unto the promises of God he wavered not through unbelief but waxed strong through faith giving glory to God” (Romans 4:20, RV). Many of us wax weak while we look at our symptoms.
• By Exercising the Faith We Already Possess. “Take heed therefore how ye hear, for whosoever hath, to him shall be given and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken, even that which he seemeth to have” (Luke 8:18). Many of God’s people wouldn’t have to travel a thousand miles to get someone to pray for them if they would exercise the faith they have.
• By Looking Unto Jesus. “Let us run with patience the race set before us…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). If we look to Jesus our faith grows, if we look at the wind and waves, we sink.
• By Reading the Word of God. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
• By Meditating on God’s Word. “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that’s written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

(Featured with permission: Sermon excerpts by T.W. Barnes printed in The Pentecostal Faith - November 1950)

APRIL 24/7 WATCH (WEEK 3)

Children & Youth: Schools

Following is the “24/7 Watch” daily prayer focus for this week. Join us in consistent prayer & fasting.

World Needs:

• Pray for the peace of Israel and the return of their land as clashes erupted due to both Passover and Ramadan coinciding at the same time. Palestinians clashed with Israeli police at the holy site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, causing 152 Palestinians to be wounded.
• Pray for South Africa as extreme weather has caused floods to wash away roads and destroy homes, killing 230 people and affecting 1 million others.
• Continue to pray for God to bring victory to missionaries/apostolic friends, believers, and for protection of children and civilians by bringing an end to the Ukraine/Russia crisis. Pray that the Lord changes the heart of Russian President Vladimir Putin as over tens of thousands have been killed by Russian military in the city of Mariupol.
• Continue to pray for the Lord to protect the harvest field, guide His bride, and provide greater understanding about Covid-19 as some areas such as Philadelphia are now reinstating indoor mask requirements due to rising cases. Pressure is rising in China as Shanghai remains on lockdown with no one being permitted to leave their residential compound, not even to buy food.

Dr. David K. Bernard

UPCI General Superintendent

General Executive Presbyters

2022 WNOP Events

• 24/7 WATCH: WNOP Facebook Worldwide Prayer Initiative (January 1 - December 31)
• National Day of Prayer (May 5)
• WNOP International Summons (June 2-4). New Life St. Louis, Bridgeton, MO
• World Day of Prayer/Pentecost Sunday (June 5).
• New England Territory Summons (NETS) - Regional (August 18-20). Christ Temple, Tiverton, RI
• UPCI Day of Prayer (September 28)
• International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (November 6)
• *Arkansas District Summons (Dates TBD). First Pentecostals of Benton, Benton, AR
• *Washington District Summons (Dates TBD). Location: TBA
• *South Texas District Summons (Dates TBD). Houston, Texas
• *Ontario District Blitz (November 4-13). Location: Various Sections in Ontario, Canada.
• National Apostolic Day of Prayer (Date TBA). Apostolic Fellowship Summit
• YM + WNOP Summons (Rescheduled Dates TBD). Location: TBA
• WNOP “Operation Prayer Evangelism: “Switzerland” (Rescheduled Dates TBD)
• WNOP “Operation Prayer Evangelism: “Operation Turkey” (Rescheduled Dates TBD)
• WNOP “Operation Prayer Evangelism: “Operation Jamaica” (Rescheduled Dates TBD)

*Pending Board approval. Note: Events and schedule subject to the restrictions and impact of the ongoing pandemic.

Also, more 2022 event dates to be added to the WNOP Calendar later as approved by the Board throughout the year.

(For more info on these specific listings, please contact WNOP at 636-229-7986)