KNEES TO THE EARTH-PRAYER SHIELD

FAST THINGS FIRST We would like to congratulate you for starting out our 21-day fasting season. If this is your first time, you might be wondering what a fast is. We define it for our purposes as a period where you abstain from food and/or drink for the purposes of prayer over a specific reason and a desire in humility to see Gods will accomplished around us. Our typical fast involves taking only one meal in the evening, but filling up with water through the day. There are those who for medical and other reasons cannot fast, either because of pregnancy, lactating mothers, or sickness (diabetes, e.t.c). For these we encourage to desist from fasting. They could chose to fast something else that is a luxury entertainment, other foodstuff, spices or the like. The importance of your fasting is that you intentionally take the time to pray and seek Gods face, otherwise it is just a hunger-strike! Those abstaining from food are also encouraged to take on a fast of other items like excessive entertainment, soft drinks e.t.c. HOW TO MANAGE YOUR FASTs 1. The fast is physical During the fast, you may feel somewhat weaker than normal especially the first few days; you may feel tired and irritable or even get headaches. Lightening your workload and cutting down on strenuous exercises is advisable to maintaining your health and morale. The Dos and Donts of food intake: Drink plenty of water and in general avoid canned foods, avoid fried foods, avoid caffeine, avoid sugar, and drink fresh unsweetened juices. Use raw vegetables and fruits they have live enzymes and nutrients that are good for your body. Preferably drink plain yogurt which is good for cleaning the lining of the colon.

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2. The fast is spiritual Fasting is not just about denying yourself food; it is exchanging the needs of the physical body for those of the spiritual. Long times of prayer and reading Gods Word will be very essential for entering into a more intimate communion with God. Fasting is a time of heightened spiritual devotion, be aware that Satan will do everything he can to pull you away from prayer and Bible reading time. If this should happen, immediately go to God in prayer asking Him to strengthen your resolve in the face of difficulties and temptations. Your motive in fasting must be to glorify God, not to have an emotional experience nor to attain personal happiness. When your motives are right, God will honor your seeking heart and bless your time with Him in a very special way. The Lord bless you as you begin this year in prayer and fasting.

FASTING DEVOTIONAL GUIDE TimeAllocate the time when you will be doing your prayer and make it routine. Ideally, you should spend about half an hour every day working on the prayer guide actually praying over it. Only about 5 minutes should be spent beforehand looking through the prayer guide. Choose a time of the day or evening when you are most focused and productive. 30 Minutes: If you were to spend 30-minutes in prayer, we encourage that you spend the first 10 minutes in worship to God. This is a time when you speak to God what he means to you, starting with statements like Lord you are so and I would like to thank you so much because The next 10 minutes could be spent as a conversational prayer space where you talk to God about your day, meetings you are planning to have, people you are planning to meet and even burdens that you or others around you are carrying. The final 10 minutes, depending on the week, is to be spent on the prayer guide items in this guide. You will find a desire to increase your prayer time as the weeks go by. Place-The place and time are linked. Privacy is important. You may consider these prayers to be part of your family devotion. This is also a good time to start the

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concept of family devotion, by allowing your children to know how to pray for this land. Plan-You need to plan for your fast. This means you intentionally deal with distractions before they come. Remove anything that competes with this space. Part of the plan requires you to ensure that your day is not too busy for you to actually pray, and also not too physically draining that you are dysfunctional in other ways.

Wouldnt it be amazing if we could pray the prayer Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 6: 9-13 each day of our fast? Take time to not just say the prayer but also to meditate on its words. There is a lot we can learn each day from this simple yet profound prayer as taught by the Lord Jesus himself. This fasting season is a time to grow in your prayer discipline, prayer language and increased dependence on God in everything we do. Take time to look at other prayer passages in the Bible, e.g. the prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:9,10, Solomons prayer of dedication in 1 Kings 8:22-61, Abrams intercession over Sodom in Genesis 18:16-33 e.t.c.

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Day 1: Sunday 10th February 2013 Pray that God would highlight any hint of doubt in your spirit and that it would be dealt with right there and then. Hebrews 11:6, Romans 4:3. Pray that you will be able to go through with the fast. Pray that Gods will for your life will be made even clearer as you forgo basic necessities to seek his face. Pray that God will meet with you as you seek him in earnest in these days of prayer and fasting. Be ready to listen to what God may be communicating to you. A meaningful conversation is one in which both parties have the opportunity to effectively listen to each other and effectively communicate to each other. Be humble but bold in your prayers, 1 Chronicles 4:910 Day 2: Monday 11th February 2013 Consider any unconfessed sin that you may have committed. This may be something you did that you knew was sinful, or something that you may have failed to do yet you know it is expected of you as an act of obedience. Confess this sin (these sins) to God and ask his forgiveness concerning the same. 1 John 1:8-10. Consider the things that God has done in your life. We all have something to be grateful to God about. Take time to give thanks for anything that may come to mind that God has done for you. What do you believe God for this year? Take time to present both your immediate need to God as well as those other needs or breakthrough points that you need God to make a reality. Day 3: Tuesday 12th February 2013 Pray that any sin committed by your familys members will be forgiven by God. Nehemiah 1:4-7. Pray that any generational curses would be reversed and revoked. Revoke any demonic claim to your lineage and establish a new covenant with God

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giving him full control of everything. Pray for the welfare of your family. Any financial, marital breakthrough or anything else that is needed would be provided for by God in his abundance and will. Pray for the salvation of your family members who are not yet born again. Pray for the unity of your family. Pray that God would heal all roots of bitterness and unforgiveness and bring the family together in him. Pray that the enemy shall be restrained and that he shall not come near your dwelling. Day 4: Wednesday 13th February 2 Chronicles 6:12-42 Pray for the leadership of the church. This includes especially Pastor Albo and Pastor Eunice as they facilitate the vision and growth of the church. Pray that even more skilled personnel would volunteer their time, expertise, energy and resources to the various programs and departments of the church. Pray for the financial health of the church. It is our desire that we may have enough and over so that this abundance can flow over to those in need of it. Pray for the sound equipment because we have not finished paying for it. Pray that we shall be able to locate the best land for our own premises as a church. Pray also for the finances needed to facilitate such a move. Pray for the various outreach events that we will be undertaking this year, the first being an overnight student outreach concert to be held on February 22nd at the Multimedia University. Day 5: Thursday 14th February Colossians 3:12-16 directs us to encourage each other with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Consider a close friend, colleague or neighbor of yours who you can present before God in prayer today. You may go the extra step of asking them for prayer needs and thanksgiving items that they feel free to share with you. Go ahead and stand in the gap for the person(s) God puts on your heart. Day 6: Friday 15th February

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Joshua 1:1-7. We begin prayer for various area zones within our reach. Present these zones before God. On Saturday, there will be prayer walks to these areas and if you can, you may join the group. We pray this week for Langata Road, Langata Estates T-Mall, Ngummo Estates and Funguo and Magadi Road. Pray that drivers shall be careful to avoid any loss of life through careless driving. We pray for Multimedia University. Apart from being the site for our church, the university also has a student population that we intend to reach out to this year. Pray for the various outreach events especially the upcoming concert that will take place this month on February 22nd. Pray that the students will respond positively to the invitations to join us for service and also to Plug In to the church. Day 7: Saturday 16th February Pray for the childrens church (Quest), Proverbs 22:6. Pray that God would provide enough volunteers to teach and facilitate classes each Sunday. Pray also that there would be no incidents or security breaches. Pray most importantly that our children will grow up in the knowledge and fear of the Lord and that all necessary provision for their upkeep would be provided by God. Pray for the teens church (3D). They will be doing the Plug In program in their own unique way branded the Survivor Series. Pray that they will grow deep so that they can begin to reach their peers with the Gospel. Pray for an increase in numbers in our teens church especially as a result of our outreach efforts. This month also ushers in our first season of Plug In, which is our program that connects us to God, church, our community and our destiny. Pray that there would be no drop-outs this season, but that all who have signed up to start the program would participate to the very end. Pray also for financial provision so that no one who wants to participate would drop out due to lack of funds. Pray also for our parenting class that runs from 10th of February to 21st of April. Pray that the principles learnt will be key in developing godly households and that there would be increased harmony and love in our families.

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Day 8: Sunday 17th February Psalm 122:1-9, Romans 13:1-7. Pray that the elections will be peaceful and fair. We pray that there will be no bloodshed and election malpractice this year. Pray that the losing candidates will accept the outcome and that there will be no repeat of the 2007-2008 election debacle. Pray that the leaders who will be elected will be quick to rally all the people in their respective jurisdictions to the cause of peace and the development of their regions. Pray that the next president will be Gods choice to lead the nation and that the Christians in the land will be an example of God-led voting and campaigning. Pray for the outgoing president, that he would continue to be a blessing to the land, and will not attempt to hold on to power in the manner of other African rulers. Day 9: Monday 18th February 2 Chronicles 7:12-14 Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Isiolo and Marsabit counties form the region that is North and NorthEastern Kenya. The perennial problem facing this region has to do with food security. This region also borders Somalia and Ethiopia and there are frequent reports of attacks from the other side of the border. Cattle-rustling is also a big problem as are the inter-tribal conflicts that occur often. Commit these issues before God and seek Him out for a lasting solution to these problems. Pray also against the practice of female genital mutilation that still occurs in certain parts of the region. Day 10: Tuesday 19th February Kakamega, Bungoma, Vihiga and Busia counties represent the Western region of Kenya. The most prominent group of people in this region is the Luhya community. This community has one language but many dialects. There are varied community practices and dialects but they all belong to the same community. Thank God for the peaceful nature of this particular community. Tensions were raised during the

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previous election period but the inhabitants of these areas were quick to return to peaceful ways. Pray for the agricultural sector of this region. The land is fertile but the farmers are exploited by middlemen. Pray that the government would support the farmers in these regions and assist them in becoming self-sufficient and productive. Pray for the religious environment. This community is known for dark magic and witchcraft. Pray that the Spirit of God would reign supreme and that the strangle-hold that witchcraft has over this area would be broken. Day 11: Wednesday 20th February Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet counties form part of the regions of Kenya that are high in agricultural productivity. Pray that there will be proper mechanisms to subsidize farming costs and facilitate storage and sale of agricultural produce. Pray that there will be no repeat of the ethnic tensions that occurred after the last general elections. Pray that there will be a continued production of worldbeating athletes to provide livelihoods to gifted runners and put the country on the world map. Day 12: Thursday 21st February Kisii and Nyamira counties represent regions mostly inhabited by the Kisii community. This is one of the most fertile regions in the country. This region is especially known for banana growing and sale. Pray for the education sector of the region because the standards have gradually gone to unexpectedly low levels. Pray especially against the practice of female genital mutilation which is still carried out in some areas. Pray for a real faith and gospel proclamation. There is a heavy Seventh Day Adventist presence and this movement, to a great extent, hinders a real connection with the relational side of God. Pray against the witchcraft and wizardry that is heavily practiced in this region. Pray against the spirit of corruption that has the area ranked among the highest in the bribery index. There is

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also rampant corruption within the local council officials. Pray against the security threat posed by vigilante groups such as the outlawed Sungusungu group. Day 13: Friday 22nd February Kitui, Machakos and Makueni counties constitute the region from which the Kamba community originates. This community was known for their prowess at long distance trade but has not been able to do much in the recent past as far as development of their region is concerned. Pray that the initiative of Konza City will benefit the region more than it will benefit foreigners. Pray that the leaders will not sell out the region for greedy profit. Pray that the coal deposits recently discovered in Kitui County will benefit the county and lead to growth of the region. Pray against the prevalence of witchcraft and wizardry which also can be found in these regions. Pray for a lasting solution to the water problem. The area is very arid but with proper planning can be transformed into a fruitful region. Pray that the leaders of the community will be able to unite with the aim of developing the region. Prayer Zones We join today also in prayer for Ole Kasasi and Tuala estates. We trust God for the development of these parts of our wider community. We also pray for Mukoma Road, Nkaimurunya and Cooperative College. Day 14: Saturday 23rd February Meru is known mostly for the growth and export of the miraa plant which is not officially illegal but still lures many young people out of school. Pray also against the high school drop-out rate precipitated by the cash rewards offered by miraa farming. Pray that this county will be able to develop new ways of income so as to reduce reliance on miraa farming. Tharaka Nithi County has the potential to be the best at tea, coffee and horticultural production. Its central location makes it a

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transit point for goods. There is presence of iron ore and coal deposits which can potentially improve the area economically. Mining of gemstones, sand and stones occurs here also. Pray that this enormous potential will be used to develop the region as it should. Embu County has one of the best agricultural climates in the country. It hosts the Seven Forks Dam which provides electricity to the entire nation. Pray that this county will stop losing many of its youth to drug abuse and through dropping out of school. Day 15: Sunday 24th February Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi counties form the coastal region. Mombasa boasts of the only seaport in Kenya serving both Kenya and its landlocked neighbours. Mombasa is also Kenya's second major industrial hub after Nairobi with various industries such as mining, manufacturing, Energy (Oil Refining) set up at the county. Pray for the stability of the area. It has been the scene of antagonism between Christians and Muslims in recent times. There is a separatist group called the Mombasa Republican Council that seeks to disengage a considerable portion of the coastal region from the mainland counties. Pray for Christian work in this region because there is a heavy Muslim influence and it is not as easy to practice the faith there as it is in the mainland. Pray against the strongholds of drug abuse and trafficking that is prevalent in these areas. Mombasa is especially a hot spot and acts as a transit route for hard drugs. Pray against the rampant immorality that occurs due to the high tourist movements within the area. Pray for the success of the tourism industry because this is a high income sector that generates much needed finance to the local economy. Day 16: Monday 25th February Nandi County is home to many world class athletes. Pray that there shall be adequate measures put in place to facilitate their development and also to raise

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local farmers out of poverty. Pray that Baringo County shall get rest from frequent cattle rustling attacks carried out by armed gangs. Pray also that there shall be intentional investment into the areas infrastructure, especially the road network. Pray that the Laikipia County residents shall be able to benefit from the areas rich agricultural resources and also from the fact that it has the second largest wildlife population and Mount Kenya. Pray for continued infrastructural development in Nakuru County especially as far as the road network, water and sewerage services and land rates are concerned. Pray for an end to the inter-tribal conflict resulting from ethnic tensions between the Kikuyu on one side and the Kipsigis and Tugen in Kuresoi. Day 17: Tuesday 26th February Narok country is home to the famous Masai Mara game reserve that hosts the world-acclaimed wildebeest migration. Pray for the uplifting of the living standards of local communities who dont benefit enough from the parks earnings. Pray for the indigenous Maasai community of the Kajiado County. Pray that they would not only receive the gospel but that they would appreciate the importance of securing their land through obtaining of title deeds. Pray for the settlement of the land issue within Kericho County. This has been a thorny subject in the history of Kenya and we should pray that the policies on land give clear direction on this matter. Pray also for the locals, that they may benefit from the tea factories around them which make colossal profits while they remain hired hands. Pray for peace in the region especially in Bomet County where the effects of the post-election violence can still be felt. Pray that there shall be no repeat of the atrocities of past times. Day 18: Wednesday 27th February Nyandarua, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Murang'a and Kiambu counties host the most populous community in the country, the Kikuyu. They are known for their

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industriousness and business acumen. Pray against the Mungiki sect that recruits youth and engages them in anti-social and sometimes violent activities, extortion and taking of oaths. Pray against the alcoholism that has a death-grip especially on the men in some areas. Pray for continued agricultural production, for this region is part of the countrys bread basket. Pray for peace in the event that the preferred president from this community does not win the forthcoming elections. Pray against the drug abuse, especially marijuana, this affects many young people in this region. Day 19: Thursday 28th February Siaya, Kisumu, Homabay and Migori counties house the lakeside community called the Luo. Pray against the rise of school dropout rates especially among teenage girls. Pray against immorality and the spread of HIV/AIDS within this community. Pray against outdated traditions and practices that do not favor women. Pray against ritualism and witchcraft that is still practiced in some areas. Pray that this communitys members will peacefully accept the result in the event that their preferred presidential candidate does not emerge victorious in the forthcoming elections. Day 20: Friday 1st March Today we pray especially for the newly internally displaced families in Tana River. Ask God to send peace and give the government wisdom on how to deal with the communities in conflict especially as the time of elections draws near. Pray for Lamu County which is also prevalently Muslim. There are many people, especially youth, who are addicted to drugs. Poverty has also ravaged the population and getting to the Island is a logistical challenge. Pray that the potential for incredible economic growth in Taita Taveta would be realized. Many people in this region live below the poverty line and we should pray that there would be economic growth in the area to allow them a better standard of living.

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Pray that there shall be intentional effort in development as well as in tackling food security. Pray that a lasting solution will be found for the frequent hunger situation. Pray for intentional effort also to expand the energy production industry in West Pokot. Generally, these are areas that can do really well if there is intentional effort in the direction of their available resources. Pray especially against the prevalence of cattle rustling in Samburu County. Pray that these counties will be infused with the Gospel message as well. Many communities within these regions have not heard the gospel. Prayer Zones We take time to pray for the informal settlements in Bangladesh, Kware and Kisumu Ndogo in our jurisdiction. Of special note is a prayer against the sale and abuse of illegal alcohol and marijuana that are readily available in these areas. Pray for an end to teenage pregnancies and school dropouts. Pray for the areas around Stage One and Tuskys. These areas host many business and residential premises. We trust God that there shall be a good environment for business and an end to cases of petty theft around these areas. Day 21: Saturday 2nd March We wrap up our last day by praying for the county with the capital city Nairobi. It is the seat of government. Nairobi hosts many international organization headquarters. Pray that the future governor of Nairobi will be qualified and able to manage the city. Pray that crime levels will be brought under control by the police. Pray against drug sale and abuse that especially harms young people. Pray against school drop-outs and teen pregnancies. Pray that the infrastructure development efforts, especially through road construction will be done on time. Pray that this sleeping giant will once again become the envy of Africa and the city in the sun.

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