FRIDAY, 25th SEPTEMBER 2020: THE ARMY AND THE RESERVE FORCE
PRAYER GUIDE
ISAIAH 51:15-16 (NKJV)
15But I am the Lord your God,
Who divided the sea whose waves roared—
The Lord of hosts is His name.
16And I have put My words in your mouth; [Emphasis Added]
I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
That I may plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth, [Emphasis Added]
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
JEREMIAH 1:9,10 (ESV)
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”
EZEKIEL 37: 3-5, 7, 9, 10
And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, [Emphasis Added] O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live….
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, [Emphasis Added] and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone…
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, [Emphasis Added] Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on
these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, [Emphasis Added] and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
MARK 11:13-14
And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he
came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, [Emphasis Added] “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. [Emphasis Added]
MARK 11:22-24
And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, [Emphasis Added] whoever says to this mountain, [Emphasis Added] Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says [Emphasis Added] will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, [Emphasis Added] believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
GUIDING TEXT FOR THE FASTING SEASON
ISAIAH 32:1-8
1Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,
And princes will rule with justice.
2A man will be as a hiding place from the wind,
And a cover from the tempest,
As rivers of water in a dry place,
As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
3The eyes of those who see will not be dim,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
4Also the heart of the rash will understand knowledge,
And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.
5The foolish person will no longer be called generous,
Nor the miser said to be bountiful;
6For the foolish person will speak foolishness,
And his heart will work iniquity:
To practice ungodliness,
To utter error against the Lord,
To keep the hungry unsatisfied,
And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
7Also the schemes of the schemer are evil;
He devises wicked plans
To destroy the poor with lying words,
Even when the needy speaks justice.
8But a generous man devises generous things,
And by generosity he shall stand.
Day |
Day of the Week |
Date |
Area of Focus |
WEEK SIX |
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| 38 | Friday | 25th September 2020 | The Army and the Reserve Force |
| 39 | Saturday | 26th September 2020 | Border Control |
| 40 | Sunday | 27th September 2020 | Justice, Law and Order |
| 41 | Monday | 28th September 2020 | The Police and LDUs |
| 42 | Tuesday | 29th September 2020 | Prisons and Rehabilitation |
WEEK SEVEN |
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| 43 | Wednesday | 30th September 2020 | The Legislature |
| 44 | Thursday | 1st October 2020 | Political Organizations |
| 45 | Friday | 2nd October 2020 | The Electoral Commission |
| 46 | Saturday | 3rd October 2020 | The Electorate |
| 47 | Sunday | 4th October 2020 | The 2021 Elections |
| 48 | Monday | 5th October 2020 | Post- Election to Swearing-in |
| 49 | Tuesday | 6th October 2020 | Marketplace Restoration |
CONCLUSION |
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| 50 | Wednesday | 7th October 2020 | Dedicating the Decade 2020 -2029 |
| Thursday | 8th October 2020 | Dedicating 2020/2021 | |
| Friday | 9th October 2020 | THANKSGIVING |
DATES TO NOTE
CONCLUDING VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
Monday, 5th October to Wednesday, 7th October 2020 (7 pm to 9 pm)
CONCLUDING NIGHT VIGIL & DEDICATION OF 2020/2021
Thursday, 8th October 2020
THE ARMY AND THE RESERVE FORCE
Jehovah Sabaoth (Adonai Tzva’ot), the “Lord of Hosts”, is the commonest name of God in the Bible (used 235 times). The literal meaning in Hebrew is “Lord of armies”. At the crossing of the Red Sea Israel experienced God as ‘a man of war’ (Exodus 15:3) as He destroyed the most powerful and technologically advanced army of the time in minutes – with a single blow.
God has given the state the power of life and death over its subjects in order to maintain order. The Bible gives the State the mandate to protect ordinary citizens. Government also has the right to protect its people from evil external aggressors by wielding the same “sword” in warfare. Therefore the call to the military profession is a legitimate one. Nowhere does the Bible say that believers should not join the military and thus, should not participate in defending their country. There is no indication that any of those who came to know Christ when they were soldiers had to discontinue their military service, nor is there any command in the New Testament that a Christian should not be a soldier.
On the contrary, there are many biblical men of God who were soldiers: Abraham fought the four kings; Joshua fought and conquered 31 kings; David killed Goliath and then led Israel’s armies in war. There is also Deborah who led the armies of Israel to military victory. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews describes some who through faith in God, “subdued kingdoms, waxed valiant in fight, and turned to flight the armies of the aliens”.
The New Testament mentions at least four soldiers in the Roman army. Jesus commended one of them as having greater faith than was found in all Israel. Another named Cornelius (Acts 10), is described as a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. God sent Peter to him as the point of contact in introducing the gospel to the Gentiles. When this man heard the gospel he believed and the Holy Spirit was given to him immediately.
The fact that some abuse their power by misusing their weapons does not mean that the armed forces should be done away with. When aggressors are appeased, whether they are school bullies or adult bullies, they are emboldened to become more aggressive. Persuasion can go only so far. If a criminal insists on pursuing his criminal way, force is the biblically mandated way of protecting the law-abiding citizen. God has given the State the sword and it must not be held in vain. There is a difference between murder and killing in defence. Though he was a man of war, David at least twice refused to kill his worst enemy, Saul, when he had him at a disadvantage and helpless.
The Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs has a civilian and military top leadership. His Excellency the President is the Commander in Chief. The political leadership of the Ministry comprises of:
- Minister for Defence And Veteran Affairs
- Minister of state for Defence – General Duties
- Minister of State for Defence – Veteran Affairs
- Permanent Secretary
The mandate of the Ministry is derived from the Constitution of Republic of Uganda 1995 (as amended). In accordance with Articles 208 and 209, the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) is established and mandated to carry out the following functions:
- Defend and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Uganda, ensuring non-violability of peoples and individual rights, the rule of law and good governance.
- Cooperate with civilian authorities in emergence situations and in cases of natural disasters
- Foster harmony and understanding between Defence forces and civilians.
- Engage in productive activities for Natural Development.
SCRIPTURES FOR PRAYER AND PROCLAMATION
ROMANS 13:1-7
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed
to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
ECCLESIASTES 3:1, 8
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
NUMBERS 1:2-4
“Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses,
according to the number of names, every male, head by head. From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company. And there shall be with you a man from each tribe, each man being the head of the house of his fathers.
DEUTERONOMY 20:1-4
“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’
JOSHUA 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
PSALM 144:1-2
Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
LUKE 3:14
Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money
from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
MATTHEW 8:5-10
When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
2 TIMOTHY 2:3,4
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits,
since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
EPHESIANS 6:13
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand firm.
JOHN 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
WORSHIP JEHOVAH SABAOTH – THE LORD OF HOSTS (GOD OF ARMIES)
EXODUS 15:3
The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name.
ISAIAH 42:13
The Lord goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal;
he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.
THANK GOD FOR:
- The men and women that are in leadership in the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs and in Uganda People’s Defence Forces and the Reserve Force.
- The security and safety we enjoy as a nation and in the region surrounding us, through the dedicated service of our national army and reserve forces. Through the army and reserved forces, the Lord has restored security in Somalia and the Eastern and Central parts of Africa protecting us against terrorism.
- The service of the officers and men of the UPDF who have exhibited solidarity and commitment to the nation by setting up several hospitals around the country to provide for health care for the COVID – 19 patients.
- The participation of the UPDF in the National COVID -19 response for distributing food supporting the efforts of the Ministry of Health Teams.
PROCLAMATION FOR THE ARMY AND THE RESERVE FORCE
A Declaration Of What We Are Praying For And What We See As God Answers Prayer
God is raising leaders for all levels of the Army and Reserve Forces
They will lead in righteousness, justice, mercy and truth.
Through their leadership Uganda will be well protected from external aggressors.
They will be wise, understanding, experienced and able men and women who fear God, are
trustworthy and hate bribes.
They will demonstrate respect and carry the spirit of service as they exercise their leadership
as servants of the populace.
These leaders will be a defence for Uganda, a hiding place from the wind and a
cover from the storms blowing in from abroad.
They will be a source of refreshment and renewal for the citizens of Uganda
as rivers of water in a dry place.
They will be a protection and covering from the heat and threats of external aggression just like
the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
They will not hold God’s sword in vain but will scatter and punish the wicked.
As a result Ugandans will live in peace and safety and no one shall make us afraid.
There will be a hatred for wrongdoing in the Military and no abuse of the weapons of war as
happened in years past.
Those tearing down the country by giving and receiving bribes will be scattered.
The wicked in the Armed Forces – the corrupt, immoral, murderers, opportunists, idolaters, liars, evil counselors, thieves and all those who do not have the interests of the nation at heart – will fall from places of authority in the Army.
Leadership in the Army will be locked up spiritually for idolaters; the corrupt; those who practice iniquity and ungodliness; those who utter error against the Lord; those who scheme evil and devise wicked plans to destroy the poor with lying words; those who keep the hungry unsatisfied; and those who cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
Rather the generous and upright will stand and the righteous will flourish.
Through the leadership of the Army the eyes and ears of Ugandans will open up so that our eyes
will not be dim, neither our ears dull.
Those who are rash, careless and ignorant will gain understanding of knowledge, and
the tongue of the stammerers will be trained to speak plainly.
Wisdom and honor will have true meanings in the Army.
Foolishness and wickedness will be despised and overthrown.
The UPDF’s capacity to address external threats and assist in maintaining internal security will be
strong
The UPDF will continue to be patriotic and disciplined and will defend and protect the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of Uganda ensuring the rule of law and good governance.
There will be strong respect for human rights and the sanctity of life in the Army.
There will be good cooperation with civilian authorities in emergence situations and in cases of natural disasters
There will be good understanding between the Defence forces and civilians.
The Army will be fully engaged in productive activities for national development.
Uganda will not return to the days when the army was a cause of insecurity instead of being a
bastion of security.
There will be positive military alliances to enhance regional security and stability.
Uganda will have a professionalized and increasingly efficient and effective Army in the unfolding years.
AMEN
