Intercession for the President

was privileged to partake and engage in a 2-hour worship and intercession time tonight. The majority of that time was spent praying and interceding for the White House and President Barack Obama. We prayed that God's mercy would be shown to all those who have exploited and misled the nation. That the President, his family, and the entire White House would be consumed with the fear of the Lord, following God's desires for truth and life to restore this country. That the weight of the Spirit of God would be so heavy on them they would fall to their knees in humility and not be able to get up until they have fully surrendered their God-given positions of authority to His divine leading.

At such a pinnacle time in our nation's history and such a desperate time for so many Americans would Satan not be attacking and scheming to influence our leaders now more than ever? Our prayers release God's hand to bless and to break the forces of darkness deceiving and pressuring our nation's leaders. They need wisdom and protection. We must pray.

BRAZIL - THE CHURCH

We had only been in Brazil a few days when our team led a worship night at the church we were staying at. Many people of all ages attended. The music team opened up with a couple songs and I did a few minutes of video recording for one of the guys. God made it evident from the very beginning that He was doing something special in that place. It took a few songs to get focused, but pretty soon the Spirit broke loose and we were dancing in the aisles and waging war for our friends and family who don't know the Lord. It was so radically liberating to be able to worship and shout and dance so freely before the LIVING GOD!

Our team was then called forward to pray with anyone who wanted prayer. Many people came forward to receive healing and blessing. There was only a few translators, but it didn't matter cause the presence of God was so tangible and manifest. It's indescribable how Christ breaks down the barrier of language and ministers so directly to us. Some were weeping before the Lord, others were bursting out in new song and still others simply fell to their face in humility before Him.

When the amount of people coming forward started to slow down I searched the crowd with my eyes to see if there was somebody that God would have me pray for. As I looked back and forth the Lord kept drawing my attention to one man. At first I didn't approach him, but God quickly convicted me and I went to the man. His name was Guilherme. He didn't speak English, but as I started to sing songs of prayer over him the Lord broke him and he began to weep and cry out to the Lord. Together Guilherme and I raised our hands in gratefulness to Jesus for being HOPE and breathing His life into us.

BRAZIL - TONY

Tony was a man we met one of the nights we were doing ministry in front of the brothel. He was an older man, probably in his 50’s, and dressed fairly nice. He was well-known in his hometown so he traveled 5 hours that morning to spend the day at the brothel in Belo Horizonte. Tony heard the worship in the streets and was compelled to come down out of the brothel. God touched his heart as we listened to him repent of specific sins and plead for God’s help. He expressed his desire to worship in the streets like our team was doing. “I know I can never come back to this place,” he said. Tony experienced the forgiveness of God like never before. Tony was one man on one night. Many others got to experience the miracle of a changed life continually throughout the trip.

Please continue to pray for Tony. The enemy knows he has committed his life to the Lord and will come after him more than ever.

BRAZIL!

Just got back Tuesday morning from a 2 week outreach in Brazil with Street Life. It was extreme! Took like an 8 hr. flight from JFK to Sao Paulo. EPIC FLIGHT! Then a quick flight from Sao Paulo to Belo Horizonte where we were for most of the outreach.

We traveled to different places doing ministry in the streets. The team would worship, do dramas, share testimonies and messages and then spend time talking and praying with people. It was incredible to be able to witness many people being transformed, healed and delivered out of their destructive lifestyles. To hear people repent their sins out loud and invite Christ into their lives was so beautiful.

The Lord was doing some tremendous work in my heart as well! He was revealing to me specific things about my life and how I need to walk in much more integrity for my last year of college. How this summer is a lot of preparation and that this coming year is the real mission trip and test (at school)! One verse that God put on my heart was Colossians 3:2. “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” To always keep focusing and pressing on through exhaustion or distraction.

People in Brazil are much more open and receptive to the Gospel than people in New York or America. The Brazilians were hungry and willing to be prayed for, to dance with us in the streets and to be broken before the Lord no matter who else was around. They allowed God to do things in their lives that He’s wanted to do for a long time. God wants to constantly refine and heal us all, but if we don’t surrender and allow Him to work freely in and through us we’ll be stuck in the same spot until we allow Him full access to our hearts.

My favorite part of the trip was the ministry in front of the brothel (prostitute house). Men were coming in and out continuously. The spiritual warfare was so intense in that dark place. But the glory and light of God broke through and many were renewed and cleansed right then and there. Some of the girls on the team went inside the brothel to invite the prostitutes to a luncheon where we had the opportunity to serve and share with them. It was a powerful time as they rarely get
treated like real ladies.

The drama (Puppet-Master) went really well. Many people were impacted by the reality of what was being portrayed and could relate to the struggles of the girl (who represented creation) in the drama. I’ve always loved drama as a powerful part of ministry and hope that the Lord will allow me to be a part of it again in the future.

When we had a day off (woo!) we got to go to our translator’s house (or estate, rather) for some rest, swimming, volleyball and cooking out!

The last day of the trip we had what is referred to as “The Love Feast”. We ate at a sweet restaurant with tons of meat! They bring the meat out on big swords and slice it off right in front of you. Indescribable really.

God answered so many prayers throughout this trip, some almost instantly, some from a while back and some still to be answered!

Overall, it was a phenomenal trip. So much fun and growth and experiencing the Lord in a radical way and sowing seeds and being a part of the Lord’s harvest that others have been watering for many years.

I can’t thank you enough for your prayer support, encouragement and financial support. I remember some of the things that happened on the trip and I think, “I bet someone back home was praying for this!” And I know it’s true. I can’t wait to share and hear people say, “Yes! I prayed for that!” And God will again be proven TRUE and MIGHTY!

Please call or write me if you would like to get together or talk more about the trip. There’s a lot to say that I couldn’t possibly fit in this short summary. I would love to share with you!

There are some more pictures of the outreach on facebook if you’re interested in checking those out.

love, peace,
obrigado (thanks)
riles