Each week of the #50Dayd2BlesstheNation Alf James is interviewing a leader around the week’s theme. This week he spoke to Daniel Brink , about the week’s focus for ‘Godly standards in arts and culture ‘
Just as last week’s focus areas of media and sport influence how we think of ourselves, how we think of others and how we view the world, especially in relation to who we see as role models and what we see as success, so culture, arts and entertainment not only shape the minds and attitudes of South Africans, but influence our lifestyles and choices.
We need to pray for godly truth together with wisdom, responsibility, discernment and competence for the people that produce, distribute and consume culture, arts and entertainment.
Christians’ love for God, love for all people even for enemies, obedience to God’s commands and a radical new lifestyle of holiness and purity, are the conditions for God to pour out His blessing on a nation, according to the #50Dayst2BlesstheNation initiative.
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This applies especially to the culture, arts and entertainment sectors in which Christians need to set godly standards.
Daniel Brink of Jericho Walls International Prayer Network says the departure point for him in praying for South Africa’s culture, arts and entertainment sectors is Ecclesiastes 3:11, which says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time”.
“When you look at arts, culture and entertainment, they are creative environments and when you look at their Biblical purpose it is about glorifying God and celebrating His creation.
“For Christians the arts, entertainment and culture arena is about revealing and celebrating His whole creation.
”We need to recognise that as Christians we should live out our creative gifts with a purpose, which is to reveal our living relationship with God and glorify God through the beauty of His creation.
“If all Christians had that attitude then the arts, entertainment and culture arena would look a lot different from what it does,” says Daniel.
He contends that the essence of the week’s prayer focus lies in the character of God.
“When we bless in this area, we bless with the Word of God, according to what God’s heart is for that person or sector, so we speak a blessing whether the person is saved or unsaved that God will raise him or her up as a true worshipper glorifying Him and revealing His beauty and His purpose through their creative gift in arts, culture and entertainment.”
Daniel says we need to get back to the Bible in which there are many examples of people glorifying God through their creative endeavours such as Solomon through his writing or David playing the harp in worship while shepherding sheep in the fields.
“Another was Jesus’ disciple John who eventually wrote the Book of Revelation in which he painted a word picture of heaven and God’s throne room.
“God’s favour is something else that we can pray for; that the arts and culture workers will have favour with God.
“We can pray scriptural examples over our artists in this country blessing them and praying that God will be revealed to them so that they can reflect His glory through their work.”
Daniel says arts and culture workers are important examples in society that many people follow.
“The question is what characteristics are they reflecting? Are they revealing themselves as an idol, are they revealing a foreign god, or are they revealing the Lord God Almighty – Holy Father, Holy Son and Holy Spirit?
“That is the question for every artist: who am I glorifying through my work, says Daniel?
WEEK 6: 21-27 MAY: CULTURE, ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT
DAILY BLESSING FOR WEEK 6. We bless South Africa’s diverse cultures. May we all receive forgiveness for allowing our cultural backgrounds to blind us and hinder us from walking in the truth of God’s Word. May all cultures in South Africa be purified and redeemed, so that we may honour our Lord Jesus Christ from all cultural backgrounds. May we all receive an inheritance in Jesus Christ. We bless the tourism industry. May tourists that visit South Africa be blessed and be exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We bless South Africa’s visual and performing artists! May God be honoured in everything they create and perform. We bless South Africa’s entertainment industry. May it be cleansed and purified from all perverse, immoral and occult influences. May people in South Africa be set free from addiction to pornography, visual stimulation, computer games, gambling, drugs, and alcohol.
PRAYER-WALK/DRIVE: Museums, cultural buildings and monuments, theme parks, drama theatres, movie-theatres, bars, shebeens, adult entertainment sites, gambling-houses, casinos, drug-hotspots, brothels, game-centres, human-trafficking hotspots, escort agencies, and night clubs.
PRAY FOR: Actors, film producers, photographers, artists, architects, bikers, tourists, DJs, and prostitutes.
INTERCEDE: for the salvation of perpetrators: drug dealers, human traffickers, occultists, immoral and perverted sex-abusers, and pimps.
The daily prayer guides throughout the 50 days are:
1. Daily Mirror
Allow the Holy Spirit every day to search your heart and bring conviction of wrong attitudes, thoughts, motives and words that can hinder God’s blessing to flow through you.
Daily Prayer: Father God, please forgive me for hardening my heart towards other people. Where I have become insensitive to your voice and to the suffering of people, I ask that You will remove the darkness and bring light and life. Help me to love again, and look at other people with compassion and mercy. Help me to guard my heart.
2. Surrender yourself
Surrender your life into God’s hand and allow Him to transform your heart, to direct your words and actions to become a blessing to South Africa.
Daily Prayer: Father God, please forgive me for every harsh word that I had spoken in anger, impatience, hatred or insensitivity, to family members, to people of other races, to leaders or to foreigners. Remove every curse from my lips and use me as an instrument of righteousness to bless South Africa. Help me to watch my words.
3. Bless South Africa
Pray this prayer daily for 50 days over South Africa and the people living in our nation:
Daily Blessing: In the name of Jesus Christ I bless South Africa: The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” Num.6:24-26, (NKJV).
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Mat.5:2-12, (NKJV)
“Blessed are You, our God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…that we should be holy and without blame before You in love” Eph.1:3-4, (NKJV)
How to participate:
Download the Prayer Guide to Bless the Nation from http://ifsaprayer.co.za/category/resourcesmedia/ or http://www.jwipn.com/50-days-to-bless-the-nation-16-april-to-4-june-2017/
Receive a daily Whatsapp message from +27 817161203 with practical prayer-walk suggestions;
Receive a daily video clip with inspirational message from +27 798791848;
Prayer-walk with a friend. Pray for the present needs of people and places you see. Read Scripture aloud. Turn biblical phrases into prayers. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and to pray according to the Father’s heart. Address your prayers to God when contending with evil. Ask God to restrain spiritual enemies so people can be redeemed.
